Final Jeopardy!
by Foenix2phorks
Summary: A gameshow helped bring us together and gave us years of friendship. One night away from the TV might end it. Betting it all during Final Jeopardy is a risky move. But sometimes that's the only chance you have to win. AH.
1. I'll Take Literature for 200, Alex

**Chapter 1- I'll Take Introductions for $200, Alex**

**Warning and Disclaimer- This story will eventually have sporadic profanity and adult situations. **

**I don't own Twilight or Jeopardy. Which really sucks cause I love them both. Although, I do suspect that Alec Trebek may be a vampire. Not only has he been hosting that show for decades and practically looks the same as he did twenty years ago, he is also very intelligent. Almost as if he has a photographic memory and _memorized_ every piece of trivia known to man. _See_? _Vampire_.**

**00000000000000000000**

"_Ha_! You don't stand a chance now, Cullen!" I triumphantly announce as our favorite gameshow goes to a commercial break.

Edward chuckles, shaking his head at my gloating. His long legs are relaxedly sprawled in front of him as he leans back in his chair. "I think you may be getting a little ahead of yourself," he points out.

"The final category is '_Literature_'. Remember?" I haughtily smirk from my reclined position on my hotel room bed. "And who is it in this room that is _majoring_ in English Lit? Hmm?"

He rolls his eyes but still smiles. "You. _Obviously_," he concedes.

"Then, I think that it may be safe to say that you, _Mr. Cullen_, are screwed," I laughingly taunt.

We have done this every weekday for almost two years. Edward and I watch Jeopardy religiously and play against each other as though we are real contestants. We never miss an episode. _Never._ It's our tradition. We arranged our lives to fit the schedule. When I got a job at the coffee shop in Seattle, I told the guy that hired me that I could not work during certain hours because it interfered with my schooling. I lied. Jeopardy came on at that time, and there was no way in hell that I would ever be stuck making iced coffees for minimum wage when I could be at home kicking Edward's ass during Double Jeopardy.

To be fair, Edward is a good opponent. _Very good_. Not only is he smart, but he is also great at finding ways to beat me even if the categories turn out to be ones that are in my favor. He usually does this by betting big when he makes his wager during Final Jeopardy. He doesn't seem to mind betting everything he has if he thinks he has a good chance. I don't know how he does it. I'm far more conservative in my wagering. I don't like taking risks. Seeing those poor saps on the show betting everything on a clue they "think" they know, and then watching as they lose it all bothers me. They had so much faith in themselves, yet they still failed. I would much rather have _something_ at the end of the show than nothing at all.

While Edward and I are waiting for the show to come back on, Alice is primping in the bathroom, plucking out microscopic hairs on her brow that only she can see. She's been in there for an hour.

_An hour._

How a girl so beautiful can spend that long worrying over how she looks baffles me. She doesn't need fancy clothes or makeup to look gorgeous. She has blemish-free skin, silky black hair, a killer body, and perfect genes that she inherited along with her share of the vast Cullen fortune. What could she possibly improve? I've told her this many times, but she just sighs and says that it takes a lot of work for her to look naturally beautiful. Then she'll usually ask me if I'll finally let her coat my face in some weird skin serum (usually something that smells disgusting and looks like it came out of an elephant's testicle) that supposedly improves elasticity or brightens your complexion. And, as always, my Tom-boy side panics at the thought of doing something so girlie and I run out of the bathroom.

Alice is going especially crazy tonight. The three of us are on a three day vacation in Florida and she insists that us girls need to look our best. One of our mutual friends that goes to the University Of Washington with us came here last summer and found the guy of her dreams at some ritzy place called Club Eclipse. Angela and the guy she met had one of those whirlwind romances that you only read about in fairytale books. Since he runs his own small tech company, he had no problem with relocating to Seattle to be closer to her. They dated for two months before Ben proposed. They're set to get married in a few months.

Since Ben turned out to be such a nice guy, Alice has gotten it into her head that this Club Eclipse is where the both of us will meet our future Mr. Rights. She claims to be gifted in precognition. I find her claim pretty suspicious since she often uses her "psychic" gift to trick me into wearing a pair of four-inch heels and spending my night sitting at a bar where most of the guys would rather be introduced to my hoohah than bother learning my name. But I really can't complain too much about Alice. She's practically my family now. Before I met her, I was living a fairly pathetic existence.

My mom and I lived in Phoenix for most of my life. We were very close - more like best friends than mother and daughter. My father never figured into my life since he abandoned us before I was born. Every month, he sent Mom a small child support check, yet never once tried to be a father to me. I long ago accepted that Mom was - and always would be - my only family.

Unfortunately, she passed away from uterine cancer a few months before I graduated high school. Since I was already technically an adult, I lived with a high school acquaintance's family until I graduated. After that, I was on my own with only a few pictures to remember Mom by and the life insurance policy that ensured I had enough money to cover some of my college tuition and expenses for my first year.

Since there were too many sad memories haunting Phoenix, I decided to leave it behind and attend a university somewhere else. I enrolled at UDub since they offered me a generous scholarship for the next four years. And as fate would have it, when I moved into the dorms, my roommate was a petite, hazel-eyed girl with a cropped hairstyle and that read Vogue as if it was a guide to life.

Alice and I are opposites in almost everything. She is the life of the party, has a bubbly personality, loves makeovers (giving and receiving), and makes friends with complete strangers in a matter of minutes. I, on the other hand, prefer to watch Netflix or read a book than go to a social gathering, would rather have my fingernails ripped off than spend longer than ten minutes getting dressed, and can count all of my friends on just one hand. Yet despite all of our differences, we became close. I can unhesitatingly state that she is the sister I had always wanted when I was growing up. We look out for each other. If one of us starts blubbering because it's been five months since we had a boyfriend, the other takes up Kleenex distribution duty and becomes a shoulder to cry on. Through good times and bad, we've been there as a team. We even moved out of the dorms and into an apartment that we still share. It's an arrangement that suits us both. She does most of the cleaning around the apartment while I handle kitchen duties.

I met Edward through Alice. They are fraternal twins but are almost as different from one another as I am from Alice. Where she is tiny and spunky, he is tall and more subdued. Her hair is dark as a raven's wing, his is a messy bronzed-brown. She wears designer tags while he prefers t-shirts and jeans. But they both seem to have one thing in common - their charm. In their own way, they both can charm the pants off nearly anyone. And because of Edward's extraordinary good-looks, there are numerous girls out there that would just love to get his pants off too.

But he isn't into that lifestyle very much. In the two and a half years that I've known him, he's only been on a handful of dates and hasn't had a relationship last longer than a couple of weeks. He usually says that the girl was nice and all, but he couldn't picture them as more than friends in the end. Then he'll say that his education takes priority anyway. He's set to take over his family's very successful medical equipment manufacturing company once their father retires in a few years. He is very nervous about the responsibility that comes with it. He obsessively studies, believing that a college degree in business will be his ticket to success. I don't believe it. He may not know it yet, but he has everything it takes to be a successful business man already.

As for Alice, she could have chosen to go down the same path as Edward, however she decided that she wants to enter the fashion field instead. No one argued with her. Her knowledge and talent in that field are already getting her noticed.

If Alice is like my sister, Edward is my best friend. He's smart. Funny. Wickedly clever. And I don't think I can stress enough how nice he is to look at. We hang out every single day. He knows nearly everything there is to know about me. He knows how I can seemingly disappear if I'm reading a good book and don't want to be disturbed. He knows how terribly ticklish I am and how someone miming the action sends me into a teary-eyed panic. He is even aware that no matter how much I claim to hate scary movies, I secretly like to watch them.

Our friendship started out when Alice brought me to her family's house for the Thanksgiving break during Freshman year since I had nowhere else to go. And I use the term "house" very loosely. It's enormous - bigger and more ornate than the White House. I previously knew that Alice was well-off, but until we pulled up in front of her mansion I had no idea of the extent of her family's wealth. But her parents are nothing like you would assume they would be. They're not pretentious or arrogant at all. Her mom is warm, friendly, practically lives in the kitchen, and treats me as if I am one of her kids. Her dad is kind, caring, and funny. I felt instantly comfortable with the Cullens.

Well, I did until Edward showed up.

At the time, he was enrolled at a college across the country and I didn't know much about him. When he arrived home for the holiday, he strolled through the door, gave me a tepid 'hello" when Alice introduced us, and then marched straight to his bedroom without a second glance. I interpreted his unfriendly attitude as snobbery at its purest form and shrugged off our brief encounter.

That evening I had to escape from Alice's room after she tried to trick me into playing dress-up with the hundreds of clothes hanging in her walk-in closet. I scoured the house for a place to hide until I found a TV room in the back. Since it was nearly time for Jeopardy to come on, I dropped down on one of the leather recliners and flipped through the channels on the TV until I found what I was looking for.

Soon I was unashamedly calling out the answers and berating the contestants when they were wrong. It wasn't until Mr. Alex Trebek asked a question about baseball and a husky voice in the room breathed out "Satchel Paige" did I realize that I had company.

Edward was leaning against the doorway, hands thrust deep in his jean pockets and his eyes on the TV screen. My face blushed red at the realization that while I was engrossed in the show and snarkily poking fun at the contestants, he had probably witnessed it all - even the part when I told the TV that the blonde-haired dude named James needed to pull his head out of his ass and stop clicking his damn button if he doesn't know the answers.

Edward politely asked if he could join me. I warily nodded my head. He then plopped down in a chair a few feet away, calling out answers and giving a disapproving tsk when one of the contestants answered with "Bangladesh" instead of the correct "Indonesia".

By the end of the episode, we were talking and laughing like we had known each other for years.

Months later, I asked him why he basically blew me off me when we first met. He told me that prior to meeting me, Alice's taste in friends usually swung to the _The Young And The Clueless_ \- AKA people that lived superficial lives and couldn't identify where the United States is on a world map. He had mistakenly assumed that I would be the same.

Edward and I kept in touch and saw each other whenever there was a Cullen family holiday or gathering to attend. He transferred to UDub with us the next fall, even renting an apartment in our same building. When Alice asked why he was transferring, he said that he hated being so far away from his family and would rather stick closer to home. I couldn't blame him. If I had patents like they do, I wouldn't want to be too far away either.

Now the three of us are set to begin our senior year in a few weeks time. We're twenty-one, single, and inseparable.

Jeopardy finally comes back from its commercial break. Edward and I hurriedly grab our notebooks in preparation for Final Jeopardy, our wages already written down at the top of the page. My score is $9001, Edward's is only $5800 thanks to a couple of wrong responses and a big wager that didn't go his way during Double Jeopardy. I've won twice in a row this week. If I win today, that makes it three for me and a new record for us. And since the final category is _Literature_, I know that I've got this in the bag.

The host, standing beside a screen, reads the clue aloud. "_This book holds the record for the most copies of a book produced in an initial printing - a record for which its author had broken three times previously. You have thirty seconds_." Then the famous "_Thinking_" song begins to play.

This is an unexpected question. Judging by the name of the category, I had anticipated that it would be about a book's plot or its characters. Pursing my lips as I think, I struggle to think of an author that has had multiple bestsellers. I smile smugly when I settle on an answer.

Once the song ends, Edward and I drop our pens and listen as the first two contestants are told that they are both incorrect. Alex steps up to the returning champion and reads aloud the woman's response. "_Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows_. That is... correct," he declares.

"_What_?!" I irately screech, throwing my notebook across the room. "Harry Potter is not _literature_! _To_ _Kill A Mockingbird_ is literature. _Wuthering_ _Heights_ is literature. Even _The_ _Stand_ by Stephen King is literature. But not Harry Potter! It's... it's a series aimed at kids!"

Edward glances my way, a smirk already in place. "I take it that things didn't turn out exactly the way you would have liked?" he smoothly croons.

In a huff, I slide off the bed and retrieve my notebook from the hotel room floor. "Yeah, I guess you could say that," I grumble as I sit down on the mattress edge.

"Well, let's see what you chose," he politely directs.

Reluctantly, I hold up my notebook.

"_Curtain_?" Edward reads aloud, sounding puzzled.

"Yes. It was Agatha Christie's last Hercule Poirot book. I thought that since she had dozens of bestselling books that she was likely the author that broke her own record."

Shaking his head as if he felt sorry for me, he says with a slight wince, "And look at that. You risked over _half_ of your points. All you have left is $4300."

Rolling my eyes, I give him an ominous glare. He's trying to play all sympathetic and sweet but he can't fool me. He's having fun at my expense. I know this is so because I would be doing the same thing to him if I were in his shoes.

"OK, Edward. I'm well aware that I failed my strongest category _spectacularly_ today. But now it's time to show me what you wrote." I may have lost a lot today, but there is still a good chance that I can win.

Without further ado, he lifts his notebook up. And it shows the right response. Worst of all, he risked everything he had, obliterating any chance I had of winning.

"How did you know the answer?" I irritably snap, my eyes narrowed.

"Unlike _some_ people," he charmingly grins, "I read and try to keep up with _all_ forms of literature... And I _may_ have every Harry Potter book in my room back at my parents' house."

I heave out a sigh and roll my eyes. "Just when you think you know somebody, you go and discover they're a closet Potterfile," I grouchily mutter, flicking the TV off.

Alice comes gliding into the room moments later, dressed in skin-tight pants and leather boots that stop at her knees. "Is that dumb show over with now?" she impatiently whines. She has never understood the appeal of Jeopardy. She prefers Wheel Of Fortune. Edward has often whispered to me that he thinks that her preference is proof that his mom and dad adopted her and lied about their blood ties.

Edward stretches his arms above his head and nods, still happily smiling from his win over me. "Yeah. It just went off."

Alice chirps, "That's great! Now you guys can _finally_ get ready. Edward, go take a shower and make sure to shave off that five o'clock shadow you got going on there. And remember that the clothes I picked out for you are laying on your bed. I don't want to see you in Levi's and a cotton t-shirt tonight, OK? We want to _impress_ people tonight, not repel."

Suspiciously squinting his green eyes, he stares back at his sister. "How did you get into my room? Did you break in?" His hotel room is two floors above ours and I saw him tuck his room key card safely inside of his wallet. The only way that Alice could have gotten in was if she climbed the side of the building like Spider-Man, or she climbed inside of his suitcase and sneaked out once the bellboy delivered it to the room. And knowing Alice the way that we know her, either one is not outside of the realm of possibility.

In response to his question, Alice places her arms at her hips and scowls in his direction. "Hmph! I did not 'break' into your room, Edward. What kind of a person do you think I am? All I did was inform the maid that was working on your floor that my brother's room didn't have enough towels and that the dresser probably needed a little more dusting. She felt terrible about it so we fixed it right up for you. And while she was working, I picked out your clothes. Then she showed me pics of her little boy. He's starting kindergarten soon and can already read at a first grade level. Isn't that amazing? So see? No breaking and entering was required, Mr. Smarty-pants."

This is a prime example of how the Cullen charm works. To Alice, people can go from stranger to dear friend in minutes. Even people who are probably smart and dependable employees fall under her spell. That poor maid probably won't realize that she allowed a unidentified person into another guest's room until many hours later. Alice distracts you with intriguing conversation and polite compliments until all suspicion evaporates in her victim. That's how potent Alice's charm can be.

Rising resignedly from his chair, Edward huffs out a sigh. "Fine. I'll change. But don't go into my room again without asking me first, Alice. What if I had been in there showering? I'd like to know that I have at least a _little_ privacy in my life."

"Pul-lease, Edward," she scoffs, waving him off. "There's nothing you have that I haven't seen before. Remember when you were four and went through that phase where you refused to wear clothes when we were at home? And you would scream-"

"_Alice_," he interrupts with a hiss, his eyes suddenly piercing. "Say one more word and I'll inform Bella of the time when you accidentally went inside the men's room when you were six."

Her mouth instantly snaps closed. I've never seen her shut up so quickly. Now I am _very_ interested.

"What happened?" I ask curiously.

"Nothing," she insists, avoiding my eyes. "Nothing at all. Just dumb kids stuff." Then, positioning herself behind her brother, she begins pushing him towards the door. "OK, Edward. That's enough dilly-dallying. We've got work to do. I've got to make Bella fabulous and I've only got two hours left before our dinner reservation. You go get dressed and I'll call you once we're done."

_Two hours of primping? On me?_

_Uh-oh..._

"Edward! _Save_ me!" I dramatically whimper, throwing my hand across my forehead. I say this as a joke, but I'm sure he knows that I am not looking forward to having my body waxed, plucked, buffed, and painted. I would rather wear my sweatpants at that club tonight. And if I wear my sweatshirt and put my hair up in a bun to go along with it, I could probably detour some of the less desirable guys tonight that are only looking for a pair of boobs to squeeze.

While on his way out of the door, Edward pauses and turns around. A lopsided smile is lighting up his face as he looks back at me, his eyes playfully scanning the room to ensure that his sister retreated back inside of our bathroom. With lowered voice, he whispers, "Text me if she gets too bad with this 'make-over' business. I'll come bust you out." Then, with a wink, he disappears out the door.

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**A/N- This story will not be terribly long, but I hope you'll enjoy it nevertheless. Will there be fun? Yep. Will there be drama? A teeny bit. Will Alice force Bella into a dress? Definitely.**

**Thanks for reading! :-)**


	2. Potpourri, For 400, Please

**Chapter 2- Potpourri, For $400, Please**

**00000000000000000000**

"Ow!" I yelp as Alice accidentally pinches the sensitive skin of my brow with the tweezers.

"Sorry!" she hisses between her clenched teeth, wincing as though _she_ is the person in pain right now. "But we gotta get these brows under control, Bella. You don't want people to assume you're a Neanderthal with a unibrow when we go out, do you?" She may be exaggerating a tad bit. My eyebrows may not be as sleek and sculpted as hers, but they're definitely not as bad as she makes it sound.

"Why does it matter?" I tiredly retort, studying my reflection in the hotel bathroom mirror.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, I don't worry much about my appearance. Usually, I forgo make-up completely. My face is nothing to brag about. Boring brown eyes to match my plain brown hair. Small nose slightly tilted up at its end. Uneven mouth with its bottom lip fuller than the top. I'm not ugly. I'm just ordinary. But I'm OK with it. I'm not the type of person who cries into my pillow at night just because I don't have Jenner lips, Kardashian butt, or Swift figure. And I won't hesitate to flip off a drunken asshat at a bar that asks why I don't paint my lips bright-red, or why I don't maniacally giggle at everything he may say like some of the other girls there. In a way, I appreciate their blunt curiosity - it makes weeding out the douchebags from the crowd so much simpler.

From beside me, Alice catches my eyes in the mirror, looking highly annoyed. "It matters, Bella. _A_ _lot_. When I'm done with you, all the guys at that club will be worshiping the ground you walk on. And I can practically guarantee that your soulmate will be thanking me for the effort we're putting into this."

_Sigh..._

_Here we go again._

She's been clinging to the false hope that we will both find our "perfect" guy tonight. It's normal for her to stay positive despite the fact that we haven't had a decent date in ages. But I'm not so optimistic.

I turn away from the mirror to look at her directly. "OK, let's suppose that by some miracle you are right and I'll find my soulmate at this club tonight. Don't you think - since this imaginary creature is my 'one true love' and all - that he would probably love me as I really am? Slathering myself in cosmetics and plucking out all of my facial hair is pointless. The guy would gradually come to realize that my eyelids don't normally look all sexy and smokey at six o'clock in the morning. Instead, he'll see that gross, crusty-stuff that appears in the corners. He's gonna watch as my skin breaks out when I get my period. Eventually, he will discover on his own that I'm not perfect. So, don't you think it's best that I go to this club looking as I normally do? That way, my relationship with this dream guy starts off on a more _honest_ footing."

Alice stares back quietly for a few moments, her forehead slightly crinkled as she mulls over my heartfelt speech. "_Whoa_," she breathes out, seemingly impressed. "That's a good argument you made there... You almost had me convinced. Now, scrunch your forehead a little so I can make sure your eyebrows don't look all wonky," she placidly orders.

_Damn it. So close. If I had just laid it on a bit thicker, I may have been able to get out of this "make-over" a lot sooner..._

As she works to darken up my eyebrows with a makeup pencil, she says, "But to answer your question, Bella, I think it's best to create the _illusion_ of perfection first, then break the truth to them over a period of time. That's how relationships work. You start with little white lies and work up from there. I promise that the guy will be doing the same thing. At first he pretends to love _The_ _Notebook_ and that he always leaves the toilet seat down once he's done in the bathroom. Three months in, you find out that he despises rom-coms and prefers to watch the WWF on TV instead of showering you with hugs and kisses. And then you accidentally fall in the toilet at two o'clock in the morning."

"You're referring to Garrett, aren't you?"

Still working on my face, she snorts a laugh. "I didn't realize I was being so obvious. But, yeah."

"Is that why it didn't work out? Because of the WWF and raised toilet seats?" I tease with a grin.

"No," she sighs, her face wanly smiling. "He's a good guy, but we just weren't right for each other. We should have stayed as acquaintances and never dated." She shakes her head, rolling her eyes. "It ruined _everything_. Before we got together, he and I got along fine. We hung out sometimes. Had coffee together. It was _nice_. But after the breakup, whenever he sees me nearby, he takes off in the opposite direction. He won't acknowledge me at all. I know rejection hurts a guy's self-esteem, but..._shit_, he's acting as though _I'm_ the bad guy! Can you imagine how terrible it would have been if I hadn't broken it off with him when I did? What if we had become so desperate for companionship that we married each other? It would have been a _disaster_! He should be _thanking_ me instead of hating me. I saved him from going through a future nasty divorce."

"But how do you _know_ that you weren't meant for each other?" I wonder aloud, biting my lip nervously as I think back to my own pathetic past love life. "Maybe you just didn't give it enough time to become something more."

With an arched brow, she tosses the makeup pencil on the counter. "Remember when he went out of town for two weeks to visit his family?" I silently nod my head. "Well, after he texted to let me know that he got there OK, we didn't communicate at all for _four_ days. And you know what? I didn't mind. It wasn't until after he left did I realize that I didn't miss him like I probably should have. I never got excited when I saw his phone number pop up on the screen. I didn't sit around wishing that those two weeks would zoom by just so he would be back home sooner. I didn't even feel happy at the prospect of meeting him at the airport once his plane landed... That was when I decided that I needed to end things between us. If I couldn't even bring myself to miss him, how could I claim to love him?"

"Yeah... I know what you mean," I mumble, my lips slightly lowered at the corners. Since I turned eighteen, I have had only one semi-serious relationship and maybe three or four casual boyfriends. I couldn't say that I ever had any deep feelings for them. To be honest, they felt more like stuffed animals than actual boyfriends - they were cuddly, kept me from feeling lonely until one of my real friends were available, and I sometimes slept with them at night.

There's also been a few guys I've met that seemed great before I agreed to go out on a date with them. Now they remain in my life as only nightmarish tales of first dates gone bad that I recite whenever I'm sitting around a campfire with friends. My stories are usually deemed the scariest thanks in part to the guy that asked what day my menstrual cycle usually started.

Alice briefly turns away, grabs a small brush, and begins to apply a dark eye-shadow to my right eyelid as she continues to speak. "I believe that when I'm in love - _really_ in love with someone - I'll know it without a shadow of a doubt. It'll hit me like a ton of bricks, you know?" An effervescent smile spreads across her face and her eyes turn dreamy. "When I meet the guy that's meant for me, time will halt, the world will stop spinning, and I'll only see _him_," she finishes with a happy sigh.

With only one eye available to study her, I stare at Alice suspiciously. "Hmm... Are you getting love advice from those trashy romance novels again?"

"No!" she squawks with knitted forehead, sounding outraged. Then the scowl on her face slowly melts away as she thinks things over. "Well... I _did_ read a really good one a couple weeks back that had something similar happen to the main character. See, she worked for this bitchy boss that had a few boyfriends she liked to string along, and Deirdre (that's the main character), she had to keep all the guys from-"

"_Alice_," I moan. "Don't get sidetracked."

"Oops. Sorry! But it _was_ a really good book," she sheepishly apologizes with a shrug. After telling me to close my left eyelid so that she can apply eye-shadow to it, she says, "Anyway... I'm serious about tonight, Bella. You and me are finding guys tonight."

"Oh? Is that what your horoscope app told you?" I laughingly tease.

Snorting in derision, she shakes her head. "Of course not. I only read that horoscope for fun. The reason I know something special will be happening for us tonight is because my dream told me so."

Both of my eyelids fly open. Alice has sometimes claimed that she is psychic, but I've never seen actual evidence of her ability. Usually, her "_gift_" is merely a ploy to get me to wear something of her choosing instead of my beloved sweatpants. But right now she sounds unusually serious about what she claims. So really there are only two scenarios that could be happening right now. Either she's delusional and has become certifiably nuts, or she's telling me the truth. And if she is telling me the truth, then I'm scared shitless.

"What dream?" I cautiously ask her.

"Remember when Angela first came back from her vacation and she told us all about meeting Ben?"

"Yes," I carefully drawl.

"Well... Later that night, I had a dream that I was at a nightclub that I didn't recognize. Eventually I spotted a sign with Club Eclipse's name on it hanging from behind the bar and I was dancing with a guy wearing a gray sports coat. I didn't get a good look at his face but I knew that he and I were meant to be together... And I saw you there, too."

I look at her skeptically for a few beats, my eyebrow cocked at an angle. "I don't dance, Alice. You know that. I think that your dream may be a little faulty."

"You weren't dancing" she rapidly announces. "You were sitting down. Laughing and smiling."

This makes my ears perk up. That's practically first base in my book. Most of the guys that I've met where there are alcoholic beverages being served only made me want to roll my eyes and contemplate the advantages of converting to lesbianism.

"And you're saying I was with someone?" I ask doubtfully. Alice nods her head. "So, what did he look like then?"

Her eyes flick down to her makeup bag and she digs through it until she pulls out some eyeliner. Pursing her lips, she meets my gaze again. "I didn't get a good look at him either," she sadly confesses.

My shoulders slump. I knew that it was only a silly dream, yet some tiny part of me was wishing that what she was telling me was true. And the fact that she can't give me any details lets me know that this is a mere pipe dream.

"_Alice_," I sigh wearily, shaking my head with closed eyes.

"Don't '_Alice_' me," she steadfastly defends. "I'm _serious_ about this. And I have proof that what I'm telling you is the truth." She pauses, walks over to her purse, and pulls out her cell phone. Bringing up the browser, she types in the name of the club and holds up the results. "See _that_?" she emphasizes, pointing to an image taken inside of the establishment. "_That's_ what I saw in my dream."

I closely examine the picture, then look up at her skeptically. "That picture looks like nearly any other nightclub we've ever been to."

"No. It's the _same_," she stubbornly insists. After placing her phone back into her purse, she strangely drops the subject and tells me about something that she saw on Twitter earlier today while she goes to work on my makeup.

Fifteen minutes later, she triumphantly declares that my face is perfect. Then she excitedly adds that it's time for us to pick out what we would wear tonight.

"But I thought that you were already dressed?" I confusedly say while I examine the outfit she has on. She's dressed in tight pants that flatter her petite figure, a delicate white crop top, and leather knee-high boots. She looks great.

'What? _This_ old thing?" she laughingly dismisses. "You can't seriously think that I'd go to a place like _Club_ _Eclipse_ wearing something so casual?"

I say nothing in response, my mouth wisely locked shut. Her clothes don't look casual to me. A tank top and pajama pants are casual. I've worn them to the convenience store several times when Alice and I needed a late night snack. Of course, I also wore a fuzzy, polka dot robe to accent the look. Because I'm classy like that.

"We have to dress formally tonight," she goes on to explain. "The bouncer won't let us through the door if we're in jeans. We've got to glam it up."

_Crap_...

Setting the expression on my face to "serious" mode, I stare at her. "_Please_ tell me that my dress tonight will be comfortable, feels like cotton, and falls well below my knees."

Alice's face breaks out into a proud, beaming grin. "Nope! It's even better," she cheerfully proclaims. "It's form-fitting, made from silk and spandex, and will show off your fantastic legs!" With a sigh, she shakes her head as she looks enviously at my bare legs since I'm in a pair of shorts. "Why you hide them the way you do is beyond me. If I was your height and had legs longer than an eleven year old, I would wear nothing but skirts and dresses."

"Yeah, yeah," I flatly scoff. "I'm set to hit the runway in Milan next week. Aren't I gorgeous?"

She abruptly pauses at the doorway and her head swings around to look my way. "Well... _Yes_ you are... Or at least you will be in about thirty minutes," she adds, brightly smiling, before leaving the bathroom to rummage through our suitcases.

After thirty or so seconds pass by, my phone buzzes on the sink's counter. Unlocking the screen, I smile a little when I see that it's a text from Edward.

**_R u alive?_** \- E

Taking a look around to make sure Alice isn't snooping over my shoulder, I respond to the text.

**_Yes. But barely. She made me soak and push back my cuticles, plucked out perfectly good eyebrow hairs, and thought about putting me in a medieval torture device until I talked her out of it. It's called Spanx_.** \- B

_**Sooo... Almost done?** _ \- E

**_I wish. I don't think I'm gonna make it out of this bathroom in one piece. She said that my hair needs to be "livened up". I'm terrified to know what that means_.** \- B

**Where is she right now? ** \- E

**Other room. ** \- B

I wait a minute for him to reply but he never does. Disappointed that my fun is over, I set my phone back down and glance at my reflection again. Now that Alice has worked her magic, I look almost glamorous. Dark and mysterious, she made my eyes the focal point of my face. There's a hint of rose to highlight my cheeks. My lips are tinted a muted pink, a subtle color as to not take away from my eyes. My skin glows luminously thanks to some weird stuff from a spray bottle that she claimed half the starlets in Hollywood use whenever they're on the red carpet.

Another buzzing sound echoes in the bathroom and my attention shifts back to my phone. I lean forward, already smiling because I know that its probably Edward. Snatching up the phone, I unlock the screen to find that he has sent me a picture of a hairless cat wearing a purple tutu and sparkly tiara. The poor thing looks miserable. And, in bold letters at the bottom, the caption says "_Bella after her_ _makeover_".

Snickering quietly as to not alert Alice, I type in a reply.

**_Jackass_. ** ** :p ** \- B

I wait a few seconds and send another text.

**_I'm showing that pic to your sister_.** \- B

**_You and I both know that you won't do that. She would take it as an affront to her talent and spend another two hours painting your face until her confidence was fully restored_.** \- E

**_You know me too well. And Alice_.** \- B

**_If it makes you feel any better, she has me wearing a button-up shirt with a collar. And loafers_.** \- E

_**Oh, the humanity! How will you survive? While you're strolling around in comfy shoes, I'll be wobbling around in skyscraper heels that are attached to my feet by a damn ribbon.** _ \- B

**It can't be that bad. I've seen you wear heels all night without so much as tripping. ** \- E

**Tell you what then. Since you seem to like them so much, we'll trade. I'll take the loafers, you take the heels. Let me know how it goes for you.** \- B

**No thanks. I'm sure they will look much nicer on you**. **;)** \- E

My lips curl up into a bigger smile, unaccountably warmed by the subtle compliment. Then I get another text.

**Give me a sec. I've got something for Alice, too.** \- E

A couple of minutes pass by before my phone buzzes again. I take one look at the screen and burst out laughing.

It's a scene from that old black and white film _The Bride Of Frankenstein_. Edward has pasted Alice's face onto the head of Dr. Frankenstein. In a thought bubble above her head, it says "It's alive!". The bride of the monster stands nearby - complete with Marge Simpson-like hairstyle with that weird white streak going down the side. And, at the very bottom of the image, the caption reads "_Alice's_ _next victim_".

**Lol!** \- B

"Bella?" Alice calls from the next room. "Are you all rght in there?"

I slap my hand over my mouth to muffle the laughter. If Alice sees what Edward and I have been talking about, she'll kill us both.

"I'm fine!" I shout. "I was just doing a Buzzfeed quiz and it made me laugh!"

As I'm coming up with this lie, I'm frantically texting Edward a warning.

**Gotta go. I think Alice is coming back. Don't send anymore pics!** \- B

I throw my phone down right as Alice walks back into the bathroom. Her arms are draped with dresses, skirts, and tops. She takes a glance at my hands and says, "I thought you said you were doing a quiz?"

"I was. But I'm finished now. It was...umm- the one that tells you which Lion King character you are."

"Oh? So which one were you?" she asks curiously.

My mind draws a blank. I was roughly ten years old the last time I saw that movie. "Uh... I was the warthog," I blurt out.

She stares at me for an uncomfortably long moment. Then, with her mouth twisted to the side, she says, "I don't know about that. You seem more like the bird to me. Pumbaa is too loud to be you."

Laughing uneasily, I shrug. "That's Buzzfeed for you. Just because I said that I like to eat nachos over cheesecake, it thinks I'm some party animal."

Alice turns around and sets the clothes on the counter. "Yeah. They do have some pretty dumb quizes. I took one once that said I was an introvert just because I'm a Libra." Once she's done arranging the clothes to her satisfaction, she swings back around with a knowing smirk. "So, what did my dear brother say? It was about me, wasn't it?"

"Huh?" I stammer with widened eyes.

Her smile turns into a grin as she folds her arms across her chest. "I know that you were talking to him. You can't fool me!"

I gape at her in shock. How did she know? Is she psychic after all?

"How...?"

Alice giggles and says, "You are a _terrible_ liar. And Buzzfeed isn't that funny."

"But how did you know that I was talking to Edward?" I ask, still confused.

She doesn't answer right away. One of her hazel eyes squints as she purses her lips to think.

"Just a gut feeling, I guess," she breezily explains before thrusting a bra and panty set at me.

Warily, I pick them up off my lap and examine them. They're white silk, delicate, and expensive. And definitely not something I would buy.

After I toss them on the counter, I flash glaring eyes at her. "I don't need these, Alice. I've got my own underwear," I irritably remind her.

She throws her head back as she laughs, her hand on her chest as though what I said is so hilarious that she can't breathe. "Oh? The cotton ones that go up to your bellybutton?" she mocks.

"They're not _that_ bad," I snap, my lips slightly pouting.

"They _are_ that bad," she stresses with arched brow. "I can't let you wear a designer dress while wearing Hanes Her Way underwear. People will be juding how well we dress tonight. What if word got out that Alice Cullen dresses her friends in cotton panties? And god forbid they see your panty line. That would be a disaster for me! My future rep as a designer is at stake here, Bella. Don't let me down."

Rolling my eyes, I snatch them back from the counter. "Fine. I'll wear them. But you _owe_ me. Being told what underwear I can and cannot wear is humiliating."

Thirty minutes later, I'm in a short midnight blue dress while Alice has on a white lace dress that she said someone named Corsetti made exclusively for her. My hair is in soft waves that go down my back.

While we wait in the hotel lobby for Edward, she begins calling out a thousand and one things for me to remember. Don't slouch. Don't roll my eyes so much because it will make me look bitchy. Try to smile more. Don't accept drinks from strangers...

"And don't forget to watch out for Edward," she continues. "There will be gold diggers all over this place. A pretty face can mask a black heart, ya know."

"How will I be able to watch out for him if I'm too busy being swept off my feet by my dream lover?" I smilingly tease. "Edward might have to be on his own tonight."

"Hey! Be serious for once, Bella," she whines. "I can't keep track of him all on my own. Please promise me that you'll keep on eye on him too? I don't want to wake up tomorrow and find out that some vacuous harpy has gotten her hooks into him. He's too good of a guy to realize when he's being used."

"He's a big boy now " I remind her, smiling. "Give him some credit. I think he can tell the difference between a harpy and a nice girl."

"_Please?_" she begs, her hands clasped together in a pleading gesture. "Snakes can seem sweet and innocent if you're not paying close attention."

"OK," I agree, giving up for now. "In between my make out sessions with my new Romeo, I'll make sure Edward only talks to Vestal Virgins. Happy now?"

"Thrilled!" she serenely chirps just as her brother exits the elevator.

As he strolls over to us, I admire his transformation. Two hours ago he was in his favorite pair of well-worn jeans and a casual tee. Now he's wearing a pair of light-colored Chinos and a crisp, white button-down shirt. He carries a dark formal jacket slung over his shoulder. He looks good. _Better_ than good. As he passes by the other hotel guests, people stop and stare as though he is a celebrity. Once he spots us, he's grinning his million dollar smile and crosses the lobby in a few strides.

Happily surveying her work once he is standing with us, Alice walks around him and scrutinizes him from head to toe. Once her exam is complete, she flashes a dazzling grin. "Now _this_ is more like it, Edward," she declares. "You should dress like this all of the time instead of going with that hobo-chic look you seem to prefer."

"Gee, thank you," he grumbles. "I was planning on telling you how beautiful you looked but I think I'm reserving that compliment for Bella now," he covertly winks, causing me to faintly blush.

Haughtily shrugging her shoulders, Alice says, "That's fine with me. Having your own flesh and blood tell you that you're beautiful is kind of disgusting to tell you the truth. Besides, I don't need anyone to tell me how great I look. I already know."

After dinner, we take an Uber to the club. Before the driver has fully stopped, Alice swings the car door open in her excitement to get out, forcing Edward to grab her wrist until it was safe to exit. Once the three of us take a position at the end of the line for the club, Alice begins calling out more demands for me to follow.

"Loosen up, Bella!" she instructs, her hands shaking my shoulders. "You're standing so stiffly. It looks like you're about to get a mugshot instead of going inside one of the hottest clubs on the East coast! Try to have fun! Meet people. And most importantly, dance with a guy for a change!"

Huffing a humorless laugh, I shake my head. "I'll go inside of this stupid club with you, Alice, but I'm going to find a place to sit, buy exactly one drink, and people watch. That's it."

"How do you expect to ever meet anyone if you just sit around? How will you come across your soulmate if you don't try to put yourself out there for him to find you? And - news flash, Bella - most guys will want to dance at least a little. Sitting around is boring."

"Alice," I groan in frustration. "Most people that come to places like this don't dance - they rub their bodies against their partner like they're having sex with their clothes on. Call me old-fashioned, but if I'm expected to dance like that with a guy, I at least want flowers and dinner from him first."

Edward grins wickedly before he turns to his sister. "I think the moral of this story is, 'You can lead a horse to water...but you can't force her to grind on some random guy's junk.' Wouldn't you say, Bella?" he adds with a hint of laughter in his tone.

"Exactly," I smile back.

**00000000000000000000**

**A/N- There will be a few familiar faces next chapter. **

**Thanks for reading! :-)**


	3. Potent Potables

**Chapter 3- Potent Potables**

**00000000000000000000**

By the time we reach the front of the line, my feet are hurting and my patience has thinned. It took nearly half an hour to get to the door. A huge, hulking bouncer the size of King Kong but with less charisma and more body hair mans the entrance. I watch as he takes a good, long look at each guy and girl that wants to get into the nightclub. If he approves of them, he does a weird head jerk towards the door and allows them to walk inside. If he disapproves, his thick, caveman brow ridge smashes together and his lips curl contemptuously, appearing disgusted by the thought that plain, ordinary people want to have fun too.

Apparently, the three of us pass inspection. After he does his head jerk gesture, Alice and Edward begin walking towards the door. I'm right behind them when a gigantic, hairy hand falls on my bare shoulder, temporarily stopping me in my tracks. With a rumbling voice, the beefy bouncer informs me that his name is Felix and that he would just _love_ to show me the moves he can do...on the dance floor. He then adds that he'll be on a break in approximately one hour and that he will be looking for me.

Flashing him a polite smile, I quickly come up with an excuse to get out of it. I'm not into guys that _tell_ me what we're doing instead of asking nicely. Besides, even though some people may find his massive size and gruff temperament attractive, I have no desire to become his Fay Wray. If Kong wants to dance, he'll need to find another partner.

I tell him that while I appreciate the offer, I won't be able to dance with him because I'm with someone. He accepts my lie without question and quickly apologizes. Once he removes his hand, I join my friends and we head inside.

"What was that all about?" asks Alice over the thumping music.

"Nothing," I answer. "The bouncer just wanted to use me as a distraction once his break begins."

After a stunned moment passes, she breaks out into giggles, "Wow! You got hit on before you even walked through the door! I think that this may be a first."

"And hopefully it's the _last_, too," I mumble, scrunching my nose. "He smelled like he showered in cologne instead of water before he clocked in. Trust me, astringent cologne and sweat do _not_ make a good combination." Though he may very well be a nice guy somewhere underneath the muscles and rough exterior, my sensitive nose and I both agree that we cannot overlook the stench.

The three of us decide to hit the bar first. As we push through the crowd, I feel the eyes of strangers taking us in. Most take an ordinary, curious glance at us before their interest diverts to something else. A few are not ashamed to stare. And one smirking guy wolfishly looks at me as though I'm Little Red Riding Hood - a girl good enough to eat.

"Edward," I call out, tugging on the sleeve of his black sports coat. He stops, and I motion for him to bend down a little so that I can talk to him without being overheard. "I just wanted to let you know that if I start referring to you as '_my_ _fiancé_' at some point tonight, it's because some weirdo is trying to make a move on me and I needed a nice way to get rid of the guy."

With shining green eyes, his chest vibrates with laughter at the excuse I've come up with. "Yes, _dear_," he overemphasizes, grinning widely.

Laughing along with him, I then take a look around and try to find Alice. Soon, I spot her pixie-cut, dark hair barely visible in the crowd. Just as I'm about to follow after her, Edward's hand catches me by the arm and pulls me towards him. He leans in, his mouth inches away from my ear. The scent of something warm and spicy invades my senses. It's nice. Comforting. And discombobulating. Suddenly (and inexplicably), I have the urge to bury my face in his jacket and spend the remainder of my night huffing it. That's a first. I guess after getting a whiff of the bouncer, my nose is demanding a more pleasant scent to inhale as compensation.

"_Ditto_," he breathes out.

Slowly, I back up just enough to see his face, my eyebrows knitted together confusedly while I try to make sense of what he's saying.

With a sly smile, he adds, "I'm referring to what you just said. If I have any unwanted attention tonight, I would appreciate it if you would allow me to use the same excuse. Is that all right with you?"

Shaking off the strange impulse I had moments before, I nod my head in confirmation and give him a faint smile before I follow after Alice.

Edward and I catch up to her and I take a seat at the bar. As we wait for the bartender, I swing around in my chair and curiously look around. The place has all the stereotypical things you might see at a nightclub. Flashing lights. Booming music. Flowing alcohol. Hundreds of writhing, dancing bodies. Alice said that this place was high-class and superior to most of the other nightspots around here. But to me, it looks like any other club I've ever been to - the only difference being that everyone is wearing tailored trousers and fancy dresses instead of denim and crop tops.

Alice soon announces that she needs to go to the restroom and asks that we order her a Long Island ice tea - _if_ the bartender ever gets around to serving us. Edward and I promise to watch it for her until she gets back.

A few minutes later, Edward is sipping from a long-neck beer while I pose with a Margarita in my hand, doing my best impression of a model. Since I plan to only indulge in one beverage tonight, I don't want to drink it up too quickly. I learned from past incidents what happens if I get too much alcohol in my system. If I down this Margarita in one go, I'll only want more. And if I have more, I do dumb things. If I do dumb things, I might wake up in Las Vegas married to a guy named Eugene just because Drunk Bella thought his Drake impersonation was hilarious. And that's one rabbit hole I have no plans of jumping into tonight.

Edward and I make small talk for a while as we wait for Alice to come back. His back leans casually against the bar, his beer bottle dangling from his long fingers. While I take a dainty sip from my glass, I notice Edward's eyes narrow slightly as he looks at something nearby. Before I can turn to see what it is, he stops me by saying, "Don't look yet, but I think that you may have an admirer."

Lowering my glass, I take my time in looking around. Eventually, my eyes land on a guy sitting at the far end of the bar. His head is lowered slightly, making his eyes probing as he stares across the room at me. Upon realizing that I've noticed him, a slow, creeping smile crosses his face. It's a predator's grin - cold and calculating. His tailored - likely expensive - suit and well-groomed hair can't hide the darkness behind his leering eyes.

I break eye contact immediately, a shiver passing through me as I turn back to Edward. He stands silently next to me, his mossy green eyes constantly on the move as he examines my face.

"If that guy isn't already a serial killer, I'm sure he will be taking up the hobby soon," I shakily announce, taking a bigger gulp of my Margarita to calm myself down.

The look of concern on Edward's face gradually fades away. A large breath of air is slowly exhaled from his lungs. "So... no love connection then?" he dryly asks after a few beats.

"Hell no," I quickly respond, shivering once again.

"Good," he replies, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Because if you had answered with a 'yes', I would right now be throwing you over my shoulder and delivering you immediately to the nearest insane asylum."

Rolling my eyes but still laughing at his joke, I glance around and realize that one of us has yet to return. "Speaking of people that may need to go to an insane asylum, I wonder what's keeping Alice for so long?"

With furrowed brows, he stops relaxedly leaning against the bar and stands tall to look all around us. "That is a _very_ good question," he admits, his voice sounding uncharacteristically worried. After a quick scan, he announces that we should go look for her.

He grabs all three of our drinks and passes me his phone, telling me to try her cell number. Alice brought a small handbag with her tonight to keep her phone, wallet, and a few vital makeup items that she claimed she couldn't live without. As for me, I left my phone at the hotel, and Edward has my I.D. and some cash tucked into his wallet for safekeeping. There's no way that I would want to worry about lugging around a purse at a place like this. And stuffing my I.D. in my bra is out of the question too. I refuse to be one of those women that whips out her things from in between her breasts like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat.

While we wade through the mass of people, I send Alice a text and wait approximately thirty seconds. After getting no response, I start calling her. However I can't hear anything over the noise in the room, so I quickly end the phone call. I anxiously send out two more texts, all while picturing her being forcefully abducted by a crazed lunatic and being held hostage in a locked room somewhere. Right as I'm about to panic and ask if we should call 9-1-1, Edward taps me on the shoulder and points across the room.

And there she is, sitting safely at a table with complete strangers and looking ecstatic that she has found three new friends to add to the contact list on her smart phone.

Edward and I exchange a relieved glance and head over to her. As we draw closer, Alice spots us and begins motioning for us to join them, her hand spastically waving around in the air.

"You won't believe what happened in the bathroom!" she squeals at us once we're standing by their table. "Some drunk girl tripped and used _ME_ as cushioning for the fall. After her friend dragged her off, I saw that the strap of my dress had been ripped at the seam. I had to hold my dress up to keep it from falling! And right as I was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown, my guardian angel showed up!"

A gorgeous blonde woman at the table snorts an incredulous laugh. "I've been called quite a few things in my life, but '_angel_' usually isn't one of them," she smirks, arching her sculpted eyebrow.

"Well, you are in my book," Alice smilingly replies. Turning back to Edward and I, she continues her story. "So I was standing there trying to come up with a way to fix my dress when Rose here walked up and offered to sew it right back up!"

"I carry a small travel sewing kit wherever I go," Rose airily explains as she takes a sip of her rum and Coke.

"And I'll be doing the same from now on," Alice adds with a short nod of her head. "So, anyway, we got to talking and it turns out that we have something in common. She's studying fashion design, too! Isn't that awesome?"

"It certainly is," Edward placidly agrees. Still juggling our drinks, he hands Alice her Long Island and says, "Here, I suppose you forgot all about this."

The smile on her face vanishes abruptly, her expression now sheepish. "Oh, thanks. Sorry about skipping out on you two like that. Rose wanted to introduce me to her friends real quick and I guess I lost track of time," she guiltily confesses. She then takes a quick sip from the glass and smacks her lips, her head tilting to the side. "Mmm... This is pretty good."

"It should be," I say, smiling. "The bartender took forever to finish making it. He even dropped the ice cubes in one at a time and removed one that wasn't perfectly square. I was about to remind him that this is a damn drink - not a work of art."

The big guy with his arm draped around Rose chuckles and slaps his large hand against the table top. "See? I _told_ you this hoity-toity place was too froo-froo for us. We should have gone to Cowboy Maverick's. That would have been a lot more fun. They even have a mechanical bull."

Rose shoots him a glare, rolling her eyes. "I _am_ _not_ drinking at a place that features converted water troughs as tables, spittoons as decorations, and only serves beer and whiskey."

"Why not, babe? Whiskey puts hair on your chest," he jokes, wagging his dark eyebrows mischievously.

"Is that right?" she mockingly scoffs. "Is that the reason why your chest resembled a grizzlies when we first met? Oh, and that reminds me - your chest waxing appointment is next week."

At that cutting shot, the third occupant at the table snickers unashamedly at his friends, his bright blue eyes crinkled at the corners. His hair is a medium blonde, neatly coifed and attractive. He wears a dapper, light-gray jacket and a pair of dark trousers.

Upon hearing his laughter, Alice's head instantly snaps to the left, catching his attention and his eyes. The man's grin gradually fades as he stares back at her, his expression changing from amusement to silent wonder. Alice's mouth drops open loosely, her wide, hazel eyes glazing over. Their gazes lock on one other, appearing to block out everything and everyone else around them.

"Holy shit," I whisper to myself in awe, not believing what I was seeing. Alice told me that her dream guy would be here tonight wearing a gray jacket. And here she is sharing a moment with a guy that matches that description...

"What's wrong?" Edward whispers in my ear.

I turn away from the sight before me and nervously pluck my drink from his hands, taking a large swallow before I answer his question.

"Nothing's wrong, per se," I respond, whispering into his ear. "It's just that _Madame_ _Alice_ has evidently fulfilled her first prophecy."

The big guy shoves out his hand for a shake a few beats later, keeping Edward from asking me any follow up questions. "I'm Emmett," he introduces himself, his cheeks indented with a grin. "And this is my girl, Rose."

Rose elbows him in the gut, communicating her displeasure with his word choice without having to speak.

"Ow! I mean - _this_ is the woman that brightens my every day that I want to spend the rest of my life with," he quickly corrects himself.

She flashes a charming smile at us, acting as if she didn't just assault her bodybuilder partner just moments before. "He could have just referred to me as his girlfriend, but I think I like what he said better," she shrugs nonchalantly.

By now, Alice and the blonde guy are back on planet Earth - no longer staring at each other longingly. The guy holds out his hand for Edward to take. "I'm their friend Jasper," he says kindly.

"_Edward_. I'm Alice's brother," Edward explains after the quick handshake.

Jasper holds out his hand for me as well, and I briefly give it a shake. "Bella," I announce with a small smile. "I'm a family friend."

"Well, go pull up some chairs you two," Emmett orders in a booming but welcoming voice.

Edward and I take a seat at the crowded table, soon laughing along with these strangers and oddly enjoying their company. We learn that Emmett is a firefighter in Portland, Oregon while Rose and Jasper are still in college there. They're fun to be around. Rose and Emmett are obviously very much in love, but that doesn't stop her from telling him off if he says something she doesn't agree with. And Jasper... Well, he's more laid back. Quiet but very nice. He speaks only occasionally, yet when he does, you find yourself listening intently to what he has to say.

Soon Emmett and Rose glide away to dance, revealing her elegant red maxi dress with its slit all the way up to her thigh. Not long afterwards, Jasper asks Alice to dance too. All she can do in response is nod her head up and down, too overcome to speak. This is a shock to Edward and I both. I'm almost positive that Alice Cullen being unable to communicate is one of the signs of the apocalypse.

After they leave, it's just Edward and me at the table.

We chat for awhile about little things - even laughing together once we spot Emmett do a few Fortnite dances - much to Rose's horror. Edward takes languid sips from his beer as we talk, his mouth curling into a smile at the antics we see going on as we people watch.

A feminine voice chirps a "hello" from nearby. Simultaneously, Edward and I look up and see the new arrival. It's a young woman, blonde and tanned to perfection. She's coyly smiling, her arms pushed firmly into her sides with the object of smashing her enormous breasts together to emphasize their size. She looks like Barbie incarnate - if there is such a thing as Malibu Plastic Surgery Patient Barbie, that is.

"Hi!" she coos, fluttering her eyes at Edward. "You wanna dance?"

He smiles warmly at the girl and sets his beer bottle on the table. "Thanks," he says.

Since I expect for him to join her, I begin scooting my chair in so that he can get by me. However, I soon realize that he isn't moving a muscle. Instead, his arm weaves behind me and rests on the back of my chair, his firm hand pressing down on it to prevent me from moving the chair any further.

"I'm flattered by the offer," he goes on, turning slightly in his seat to give me a wink. "But I'm afraid my fiancée might disapprove."

The woman's eyes bounce between the two of us. I can almost see the wheels turning in her head as she tries to piece together what he said. Once she realizes that _I_ am supposedly this "fiancée" he is speaking of, her brows knit together and she looks at me in astonishment - like she can't believe that someone as lowly as me could ever interest an attractive man. If what Edward was claiming right now happened to be true and not just a bald-faced lie, I would be _super_ pissed right now.

"Oh," she says, backing away from the table. "I get it. Sorry 'bout that."

"It's fine. Don't worry about it," he smoothly calls out to her retreating figure.

Once she has disappeared back into the crowd, I shoot him a serious look. "You don't have to sit here all night long with me, Edward. You could have taken her up on the offer. I don't mind being alone for a little while."

"No thanks," he chuckles.

"Why not? I know how much you like to dance. And you haven't done it at all tonight."

"She wasn't for me," he shrugs. "Too...materialistic."

Smirking, I say, "Then dance with someone else 'less materialistic' if that makes you feel any better."

His fingers begin playing with the mouth of the beer bottle, his index finger swirling around and around as he mulls over what I said. Eventually, with his head cocked to the side, his eyes catch mine. They're green and beautiful and captivating. Edward may be one of my best friends, but I can't deny that sometimes he makes my knees turn to jelly just with a well-aimed glance.

"So... Is that what you think I should do?" he asks, his voice smokey and deep. "I should go and dance with someone?"

He turns his penetrating gaze up a notch, making me squirm in my chair from the attention. I force myself to briefly glance away. "If that's what you want."

He nods his head, his mouth slightly pursed. "OK," he drawls while he watches me take a drink from my glass. "I'll make a deal with you... I'll go dance right now - if _you_ join me."

I nearly spew my drink out all over him.

"W-what?" I stammer once I gulp down the liquid in my mouth.

"You heard me," he relaxedly replies. "If I go ask someone here, they're going to assume that I'm interested in more than just a friendly dance. So, the only way that I can see a way for me to dance _and_ not hurt anyone's feelings is if _I_ dance with _you_."

"I can't dance!"

"Can't or won't?"

"_Both_!" I yell in panic.

Edward studies me for a few seconds. Then, with a grin, he holds his right hand up in the air while his other hand rests on his heart. "I promise that it will be normal dancing. No grinding," he says as though he is solemnly swearing in a court of law.

"That doesn't matter! _You_ dance like Justin Timberlake. _I_ look like someone experiencing a seizure!"

He scrunches his face, clearly outraged. With his finger jabbing into the table as he makes his point, he stresses, "I do _not_ dance like a member of an old boy band, Bella. I'm much more coordinated and far less embarrassing when _I_ dance."

"That's my point! You're good at it! And I-" Unable to complete my thought, I hide my face behind my hands, shaking my head back and forth. Just the thought of dancing _terrifies_ me...

Edward pulls one of my hands off, looking at me sympathetically. "What's the problem? Why won't you dance?" He pauses, and adds, "Did something... bad happen to you?"

He's staring at me expectantly, waiting for me to answer. I've somehow avoided giving this question any specific answers the few times when Alice has brought up the subject. I usually get away with saying that I don't like it and she leaves it at that.

But I feel like I can't avoid it now. Edward seems strangely determined to discover the origin of my fears. He's the type of person that doesn't give up easily. If he is interested in a subject, he'll track down every scrap of information about it until he has enough dirt to do a full page exposé in the newspaper.

I take in a deep breath and decide to just get it over with.

"Bella Thong," I blurt out, wincing at the name.

Edward blinks a few times, seemingly bewildered. "Excuse me?" he says, shaking his head as though he thinks he may have misheard.

"That was my nickname in high school," I admit.

His mouth opens and closes a few times, appearing uncertain at what he should say next.

"OK," he slowly says. "And you were known by this nickname because..." He rolls his hand encouragingly as he patiently waits for me to elaborate.

I snap my eyes shut, unable to look at him as I confess one of the worst days of my life. "Because Bella Swan tripped and fell on the gym floor while she was dancing at her junior prom and her dress flew over her head," I rush out in one breath of air.

"I see... And I suppose that's where the thong comes in?"

I reopen my eyes and look at him again. Surprisingly, he isn't laughing at my confession like I had assumed he would. He appears more contemplative than amused.

"Yep," I reply, my mouth making a popping sound at the end. "Lucky me... Before that day I was just the quiet, nerdy girl in the Quiz Club that no one noticed. After that experience, absolutely _everyone_ at the school called me by my new name."

His hand rubs down his face, his head shaking in disbelief. "I'm sorry, Bella. I won't bring it up again."

"It's OK," I wanly smile. "It's not like it's your fault that my life sucked back then."

A silent minute passes by as we watch what's going on around us instead of dealing with the new awkward situation we found ourselves in.

Edward laughs a little as he looks across the room. Wetting his lips with his tongue, he turns to me and says, "How about I take your mind off of things and use my fantastic mind reading skills on some unsuspecting victims?"

A large grin is on my face before I can even register it, and I quickly nod my head.

Whenever Edward and I need a way to get our minds off of things, one of us picks out someone in a crowd at random. He then tells me their "thoughts" or reenacts the conversation the person may be having with someone else. It's usually ridiculous what he comes up with, but it never fails to distract me for a while.

Edward let's me pick out someone from the crowd. I take my time in finding someone, not wanting to make it easy for him to come up with a story. I eventually spot your typical, "All-American Boy" type of guy standing near a wall. His hair is blonde, standing up in carefully maintained spikes on his head. He's looking at a group of girls standing nearby, obviously trying to get the nerve to approach them.

I point the guy out to Edward. It takes only a few seconds for him to begin "reading" the guy's mind.

"_You can do this. Don't chicken out_..." Edward begins as though he's inside of the guy's brain. Moments later, the blonde guy begings walking, appearing nervous and apprehensive. "_Hello, my name's Mike and you look really pretty tonight. Hello, my name's Mike and you look really pretty tonight._"

I'm laughing already.

Once the guy makes it to the group of girls, he taps the shoulder of a curly-haired brunette wearing a short, sequined dress. The girl turns to look at him and he begins talking to her.

And in turn, Edward "talks" for him.

"Hello, my name's Mike and I look really pretty tonight."

I laugh so loud that the people at the next table stop and stare.

"I mean - _You_ look really pretty tonight," Mike, aka Edward says.

The brunette smiles, nods her head, and starts talking to the blonde guy.

"Thanks! You look nice, too!" Edward answers for her using a falsetto voice. The girl holds her finger up for a second, pointing at the guy's head. Edward incorporates it into the dialogue. "And you're so sweet to bring your hedgehog with you when you go out. I bet the poor thing gets lonely when its home all by itself!"

Edward switches back to his regular voice in order to speak for the man. "Thanks, but I don't have any pets. That's my hair. I just use a lot of gel."

Soon I'm laughing so hard that I have to order Edward to stop talking because my chest hurts.

We revert back to normal conversation. As I'm telling him that the three of us should hit the beach tomorrow, I'm disappointed to discover that my Margarita glass has been drained.

"You want another one?" he asks once he notices me tipping the glass in my mouth.

I shake my head. "No. I'd better not. One drink is my limit."

"If you're thirsty, you can have a club soda. Or a Virgin Mary."

"Yeah... I guess a Virgin Mary's OK," I say after a moment's thought. I begin backing my chair up so that I can go to the bar.

But he's already standing up, shoving his chair under the table. "I'll get it for you while I grab another beer. I'll be right back."

I try to tell him that I can get it myself but he insists. And since I'm not willing to argue with him right now, I agree.

From my vantage point, I can see him make his way to the bar. It's crowded and chaotic. He leans his elbow on the bar while he waits for the bartender, his back turned towards me. I'm not a bit surprised when a stunning woman introduces herself to him not long after his arrival. Her laughs and smiles come easily as she talks to him - the fact that he is a stranger doesn't appear to faze her at all.

And they look _good_ together.

She's tall for a woman. Her legs are long, her figure curvy, her hair shiny and flawless. A supermodel if there ever was one. She matches him in looks and perfection - the flip side of the coin.

It doesn't take long before I'm picturing them in a few years time.

Happily married.

Idyllic life.

Their future children blessed with his chiseled jaw, green eyes, and sense of humor, while they also can boast their mother's long, mahogany hair and confident attitude.

Seconds later, I'm tilting my glass up again, hoping that there's a drop of alcohol hiding in here somewhere...

"Ah! What a vision!"

Lowering my empty glass, I find a pale man standing in front of me. His hair is a dark brown, slicked back and parted down the exact middle. The whites of his eyes are reddened from a night indulging in whatever drink he has in his hand. His ghostly pale lips smirk suggestively as he eyes me up and down.

"I came over to introduce myself to the loveliest creature I have ever had the honor of seeing," he grandly informs me in some strange accent.

He bows slightly, then thrusts his hand out as though he wants to shake hands. I reach out to shake it when he instead pulls me up from my seat and begins kissing my fingers, slobbering like a Saint Bernard all over them.

Yanking my hand away, I try to hide my disgust underneath a polite smile. "Well, it was nice meeting you-"

"Aro."

"Aro?" I repeat, puzzled by it's origins. "Is that short for something? I don't think I've ever heard of it before."

His thin eyebrows rise, caught off guard by the question. "Well, yes," he says, his accent suddenly absent. "I was born Arnold but everyone calls me Aro."

"Oh...OK. Well that's very interesting, but I need to get going. I'm sure my fiancé is looking for me by now," I reply, taking a step away.

His hand wraps around my upper arm, keeping me from leaving. "Don't leave yet!" he pleads, his "foreign" accent audible once again. "You didn't give me your name."

"Bella. Now if you would excuse me-"

His puffy eyelids close, the stupefied expression appearing on his face identical to that of a prepubescent girl at a Shawn Mendes' concert.

"Ah! Bel-ah! What a name. So fitting for a _beautiful_ creature such as yourself, my dear."

I huff out a frustrated breath while he grins as though he is immensely proud of himself. I so badly want to tell him that I've heard that lame line from nearly every single guy that was flirting with me. The first time I heard it at fifteen, I was flattered. Now, it just ticks me off. Can't I get anything more original than that?

"Thanks, but I need to get going now," I repeat, trying to remove his fingers from my arm.

He feigns being hurt, his mouth set in an exaggerated frown. "But, Bel-ah! I wanted to _dance_ with you." He pulls me closer, his breath reeking as if he has been drinking kerosene and rotten egg whites all night long. Soon I feel one of his fingers caressing my skin. "You know... I can tell a lot from a person just by touching them. I know their wants. Their needs. Their desires. _Everything_."

"Listen Arnie," I snap.

"Aro," he reminds me.

"OK. Listen, _Aro_," I say between clenched teeth. "I need for you to move your hand right now or you are going to _seriously_ piss me off."

Aro's pale face lights up, but his hand remains locked around my arm. "How delightful! Did you know that your cheeks flush the loveliest shade of red when you're angry? You're a fiery one, aren't you? I knew you-"

My knee jerks up, smashing into his balls and accompanying equipment with all of my might. Needless to say, he decides that he should let go of me now.

While he's busy rolling on the floor moaning in agony, Edward walks up with fire burning in his eyes. He throws down our drinks on the table and turns to me. "What did he do?" he asks, his nostrils flaring.

"Arnie didn't understand the word 'no' so I happily taught him a lesson."

I thought Edward looked angry before. I was mistaken. He was upset before I told him what happened. He's angry _now_. Very, very much so.

He takes a step towards Aro but I catch his arm before he can go. "Don't worry about it. I don't want you to get into trouble."

He stares at me for a short while, fighting a battle behind his eyes over what he should and shouldn't do. I know which side won once he tiredly sighs, his shoulders relaxing from their former rigid state.

I let go of him, thinking that he has calmed down enough to not do anything crazy. Immediately he walks over to Aro, who has since managed to get back on his own two feet. Edward locks eyes with the guy. "You have five seconds to get lost. _Move it_," he growls.

Aro nods his head, glancing at me before he stumbles away. "Trust me. I got the message, pal," he groans, still clutching his crushed groin.

After he's gone, Edward swings back around. He studies me for a few moments. A thought appears to strike him suddenly. "Did he hurt you?" he asks, his tone urgent.

"No."

He let's out a breath, closing his eyes briefly. When he reopens them, he checks his wristwatch. "It's getting late. Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes. I think I've had enough excitement for the evening," I dryly reply.

"Thank god. Let's go get Alice and get the hell out of here."

We abandon our drinks on the table and begin our search. Since Alice is so short, we decide to scan for Jasper's distinctive blonde hair instead since he is a tall man and would be easier to spot. Unfortunately, the place is packed. Finding them isn't easy. Bodies bump into us as we push our way through the crowd. And since Edward is more coordinated, has longer legs, and isn't wearing stilts that were made in Italy, he is able to move much easier than I can.

It isn't long before I've lost him. All I see are flashing lights and guys so tall that they belong on the Harlem Globetrotters.

While I'm whirling around in place, wondering which way he went, a hand appears between a dancing couple and grabs mine. I'm abruptly pulled, briefly separating the couple. Once I'm on the other side, I see that it's Edward's hand pulling me through the horde. I throw a quick apology over my shoulder to the dancing couple that I disturbed as we walk away.

After that, he doesn't let go until we find Alice.

She's slow dancing with Jasper despite the fact that the song is fast, loud, and definitely not romantic. Yet somehow they make it work. They both have loving smiles on their faces, looking so sweet that it makes me sick. And a little jealous.

"We want to go home," Edward announces, snapping his fingers in front of her face to grab her attention.

Having burst the happy bubble she and her dream guy have built, Alice discovers us standing by. "Already?" she confusedly asks once they stop dancing.

"We've been here for hours. Bella and I are exhausted."

"Really? Wow... I'm not tired at all."

Jasper scratches the side of his nose and cuts into their conversation. "If you want, I could take you back to your hotel once you're ready to leave."

Her face beaming, she nods her head. "Thanks! That sounds perfect."

Edward's eyes cautiously flick between the two of them. "Are you sure, Alice?"

"Yes. I'll be fine."

He muses for a few seconds, thoroughly thinking things over before he agrees. "All right," he says seriously to Jasper. "But I want your full name, the address where you're staying, and your number."

Embarrassed by his protectiveness, she rolls her eyes and stomps away from him, pulling me along with her to create some distance. "Going out with Edward close by is like being with my dad," she sighs. "But way _more_ embarrassing. At least Dad would ask Jasper for the info without sounding like he's under a criminal investigation."

I laugh. Then taking another look at Jasper, I say, "So... I guess things are going well for you?"

She giggles and nods her head. "Yeah. He's great. I really like him."

"But is he..." I hint.

Her smile turns into a wide grin. "Definitely."

"Well, that's great," I reply with a returning smile. "I'm glad it worked out for you."

She says nothing for a few beats, her eyes looking down at the floor. "What about you? Anything interesting happen?"

"Nope. Except for the guy that I had to knee his family jewels, all I did was talk to Edward."

Her eyebrow arches high while looking at me curiously. "Hmm... I want details of that tomorrow."

"Sure thing."

Edward and Jasper shove their phones back into their pockets, now finished with their business. Alice taps my shoulder, curling her finger for me to come closer. "I just wanted to say that you shouldn't get discouraged. There's a purpose for everything in life - even if it doesn't feel that way sometimes. Just...keep an open mind."

I laugh, shaking my head at her nonsense. "I told you that I don't believe in horoscopes," I tease.

"I know," she smiles back. "But that was one of my very own creation. Did you like it?"

"It was _great_," I sarcastically reply.

Just as Edward and I walk away, Alice and Jasper are back to dancing. Their bodies sway to the music, already in a world of their own.

That's what I want someday.

I want to know what it feels like to have someone look at you as if you're all they can see. And I want to be able to look back and only see them. Not everyone gets to experience it during their lifetime. I hope to be one of the lucky few.

"Ready?" Edward asks as we draw closer to the exit.

"Yeah. Let's get outta here," I tiredly answer.

**00000000000000000000**

**A/N- *whistling innocently***

**Thanks for reading! ;-)**


	4. Double Jeopardy- Bodies Of Water For 800

**Chapter 4- Double Jeopardy - Bodies Of Water, for $800**

**00000000000000000000**

We sit in the backseat of the Uber as the black car zips past slower vehicles. Even though it's pretty late, there are a lot of cars and trucks out on the road tonight.

Edward and I are quiet for most of the ride - and it's not because we have nothing to talk about. Actually, it's because our driver is very friendly in a since-you're-stuck-in-my-car-I-will-share-my-life-with-you-and-not-ever-shut-up kind of way. And to make the experience even better for us, the driver speaks in a deep, scratchy voice that sounds like he gargles with rusty nails every morning.

I find myself intriguingly watching the old man's reflection in the rearview mirror. He makes the strangest facial expressions when he talks. His bushy, steel-gray eyebrows animatedly wiggle around, looking exactly like a pair of hairy caterpillars battling to the death right there on his face. I kind of find it fascinating, really. Or maybe my interest is just proof that the Margarita I had earlier was stronger than I thought.

We only have another couple of blocks left before we reach our hotel when the car suddenly comes to a halt. I sit up straighter to peek over the headrest in front of me to find that we are at the very end of a long line of unmoving cars. Far off in the distance, I see an intersection with emergency vehicle lights flashing like crazy. I squint my eyes and can just barely make out what's going on. A small compact car has it's side smashed in by a mid-size SUV. Police cruisers, a firetruck, and two ambulances are blocking most of the roadway as they work the scene.

The driver snorts, shaking his head. "Looks like a pretty bad accident," he says over his shoulder. "They really need to do something about this intersection. There's a crash here at least twice a month." As he's reminensing aloud about these unfortunate accidents, he stretches his right arm and digs something out from the console next to him. He extracts a cigarette from a small package and pops it in his mouth, which he lights up in about five nanoseconds.

He takes a drag on it, savoring the taste for a moment before slowly breathing out a plume of smoke. "Hope you two don't mind if I take a couple of puffs while we wait. I was planning on taking a break after I dropped you off. But since this happened..." He helplessly raises his wrinkled hand to indicate the vehicles ahead of us. "Well, it usually takes a while to get moving again."

He goes on to make small talk while we wait for traffic to clear, his cigarette dangling from his lips as smoke quickly fills the car's interior. I soon realize that his "couple of puffs" comment must have been code for "I'm smoking this whole thing" because he isn't giving any indication that he is planning to stop anytime soon.

It doesn't take long before I'm gasping for air.

Cigarette smoke and I don't get along. It invades my lungs, chokes my throat, and makes me sick. He did roll down his window for ventilation, but it isn't helping the situation much for me. And even if I ask this guy to stop smoking right this instant, I know that I'll be smelling the scent and fighting nausea long after he stubs it out.

So when the driver is distracted when his phone rings, I lean over to Edward and urgently whisper, "Let's just walk the rest of the way to the hotel."

"Are you sure? It's a long walk." He briefly glances down at my feet and then meets my eyes again. "And it doesn't appear that you're dressed for a hike right now," he smirks, referring to my beautiful but impractical shoes.

"It's not _that_ far. I can handle it. Besides, I really don't feel like dying from _asphyxiation_ tonight, Edward," I emphasize, tilting my head towards the driver breathing out smoke like Puff The Magic Dragon.

Two minutes later, we're out of the car, on the sidewalk, and walking as quickly as we can past the chaotic accident.

The air is warm and sticky here even late at night, only the sea breeze blowing in tempers the grueling heat. Soon after our escape from the Uber, Edward pulls his dark blue sports coat off and flings it over his shoulder. Not long after that, he rolls up his white shirt sleeves above his elbows in an attempt to cool off. As for me, I'm grateful that Alice talked me into wearing a dress tonight instead if my usual pants. My bare legs are benefitting from the breeze, helping me stay a lot cooler than Edward.

Several minutes later, we reach the street that our hotel is on and we slow our pace. It's not as busy in this section of town at night. Most businesses are closed until morning.

As we walk, I inhale the scent of the salty sea breeze. Although the ocean is close by, luxury condos, restaurants, boutiques, hotels, and various other businesses block the view of the water from the street. All I can see are hints of the sand dunes that stretch out behind them.

One of the closed businesses we pass by intrigues me more than the others. Its style is different from the rest of the neighborhood. While all of the other buildings are eggshell white, red brick, or a mirrored glass, this building is constructed from buttermilk-beige stone. The exterior looks as if it had been salvaged from a castle that once stood in the Sahara. It looks warm and exotic, yet somehow fits this southern Florida neighborhood.

"_Aksum Ethiopian Restaurant_," I read aloud curiously. I take a peek at Edward. "Have you ever had that kind of food before?"

"No."

Hiding a smile, I shake my head as though I'm stunned by this information. "What? Edward Cullen, the man that has it all, can't tell me _anything_ about Ethiopian cuisine? And here_ I _thought that you were a man of the world."

He huffs a couple of dry laughs. "Yes. I was quite the Magellan back in my youth," he wryly comments. After a pregnant pause, he says, "I've been to exactly three countries in my life, Bella - Canada, Mexico, and once to France. And according to my old high school Geography teacher, I don't believe Ethiopia is _anywhere_ near those places."

"Oh," I whisper, surprised that with all of his family's wealth, he hasn't been to more places than that.

After a few steps, I recover from my surprise and go back to thinking of the restaurant.

"I wonder what it tastes like," I wonder aloud.

"Well, once we drag Alice away from her new Prince Charming for a few minutes, we can go see for ourselves. Maybe they'll be open for lunch tomorrow."

I shake my head. "That's way too soon. I would need to do research first, and that takes time. Maybe if everything checks out, we can go there for dinner."

Edward immediately stops walking, staring at me strangely with his eyebrows drawn together. "Research?"

"Yeah. I need to consult Google Images to see what Ethiopian food is supposed to look like. Then, I'll read a few articles on the subject, too. If it looks edible, I'll visit the restaurant's Yelp and Facebook pages to see what their past and current customers say about the food and customer service. And if that checks out, I'll next go to the Better Business Bureau and make sure there's no complaints against them."

He slides his hands into his pants pockets and releases a long sigh. After studying me for several beats, he says, "_Or_, how about this - you could relax, not do _any_ of that, and go to lunch there tomorrow without worrying yourself to death. Let everything be a surprise."

I look at him askance. "Oh? And risk getting food poisoning? That _would_ be a great surprise, wouldn't it?" I scoff, throwing in an unladylike snort in case he mistakes my heavy sarcasm for anything else. "What if I went in there unprepared and accidentally ordered water buffalo testicles just because their menu describes them as 'pan-fried balls of meat'?"

He tilts his head down, staring back at me seriously. "Hey. Don't knock them until you try them," he deadpans. Rolling my eyes, I slap his chest in revenge for the teasing but he just laughs.

Typical.

His chuckling gradually dies down and we start walking again, our steps slow and lazy now that our hotel is within sight. After we have covered a couple of dozen more feet, he turns his head a little my way. "Taking a risk can be fun sometimes," he remarks philosophically. "It makes life interesting."

I give him a mockingly sweet smile in return. "Thanks for the profound advice, Confucius. However, _I_ believe that being cautious and avoiding risks whenever possible keeps you safe."

"You'll be bored," he points out.

"Maybe. But at least I'll be alive to live another day."

His expression turns pensive. His brows knit together as his mouth dips into a small frown. "Is it really worth always playing it safe when there's the distinct possibility that you could be happier in the long run if you would only go out on a limb and _live_ a little?"

I take my time before I respond. I've known Edward for almost three years - two of which I have seen and hung out with him every single day. I know his emotions quite well now. When he is upset about something, his square jaw locks in place. When I see his green eyes light up mischievously, I know that he is planning to either tease me or playfully ridicule Alice in some way. When he pinches the bridge of his nose, it means that he is frustrated and has had a hard day.

But I've never seen him look like this before.

Right now, his normally youthful, energetic eyes look tired. Worn down. They look more like an old man's than a healthy twenty-one year old.

After I have studied him, I ask, "Are you coming up with this wisdom from off the top of your head, or are you speaking from personal experience?"

Once I finish with my question, his footsteps slow to a crawl, eventually stopping completely. He aims his face away from me, choosing instead to look towards the sand dunes that lead down to the beach.

Just when I believe that he won't be answering my question anytime soon, I hear his smooth, velvety-soft voice float in the air.

"Maybe it's a little of both."

A few silent moments pass.

Without warning, he swings back around on his heels and his eyes lock on mine. I see a gleam in them that wasn't there before.

"Are you sleepy?" he asks directly.

"Not really. Why?"

"It's been a long time since I've seen the ocean at night. Do you mind if we go down so that I can take a look real quick?"

"Uh... OK."

We leave the sidewalk and step onto the path that the city built. The wooden walkway goes all the way down to the beach, keeping the tourists from having to trudge through the sand dunes and simultaneously protecting the fragile plant life from being trampled. Scattered all around us are patches of sea oats, the tall beach grass swaying in the breeze. That same breeze is also whipping my long hair across my face, getting in my eyes and forcing me to continuously tuck the strands behind my ears.

The full moon hangs like a lantern high above us in the night sky, its light so bright that I can easily see everything around us. I soon notice that while the wind seems to be purposely trying to annoy me, it's merely playing with Edward. His locks of bronze are being gently ruffled - so gently in fact that the breeze is basically caressing it.

Towards the end of the path, I spot the white sand of the beach glowing in the moonlight. Edward steps off of the wooden walkway and onto the sand seamlessly. I follow right after him but I'm not nearly as graceful thanks to my shoes. My heels plunge deeply into the soft sand, throwing me off balance.

Squealing like a piglet as I fall, my arms look like spinning pinwheels as I flail around during my descent. Instinctively, my fingers latch onto the nearest object around me before I can face-plant in the sand.

Of course, that object is Edward.

His back to be precise. My fingers are digging into the back of his white shirt. I'm sure that he'll find my fingernail indentations there once he checks himself in the mirror later.

He stumbles because of our unexpected collision but manages to stay upright. Once I regain my footing, he generously allows me to use his shoulder to keep my balance so that I can remove my heels.

With my shoes off, I get around much easier. The grains of sand feel deliciously warm to my bare feet - so unlike how it felt earlier today. At that time, the sand felt more like burning coals thanks to the searing heat of the midday sun.

Once Edward and I are about twenty or so feet away from the shoreline, he spreads his dark blue sports coat on the ground to create a makeshift beach blanket. After he finishes laying it out to his satisfaction, he gestures for me to take a seat.

With amused eyes, I say, "You just threw down a $500 jacket in the sand that your sister bought for you. You _do_ know that Alice is going to kill you, right?"

In typical Edward style, he casually shrugs his shoulders, appearing unconcerned by what I just said. "She won't find out."

"I think that you underestimate the power she has when it comes to clothes," I counter, cocking up my eyebrow. "She is a _clothes_ _whisperer_. They tell her all of the fashion secrets that you might try to hide. Once, I borrowed a blouse from her and accidentally spilled soup down the front. So, without telling her, I took it to the dry cleaners, they completely removed the stain, and I hung it back up in her closet - thinking that she would be none the wiser. The next day rolled around and she thanked me for having the stain removed by a professional. I have no idea how she knew. I thought I removed all of the evidence."

With a crooked smile, he shrugs again. "I still think it's worth the risk. It's just a jacket. It's better to be comfortable _now_ than worry about what pipsqueak will do to me _later_."

Laughing at his laid back attitude, I drop my heels on the sand and lower myself down until my knees hit his jacket, carefully adjusting my dress as I sit. After I tuck my legs under me, Edward sits next to me but let's me have most of the room. He stays on the extreme edge, resting his forearms on the tops of his bent knees.

Without speaking, we take in the scene around us. After we checked into the hotel earlier today, the three of us came down to take a peek at the beach. We couldn't stay long but I at least got a taste of what it's like during the day. And I can unequivocally state that it's nothing like it is right now.

There's no sun to blind your eyes or boil your skin. No people sunning themselves or hiding under beach umbrellas. No airplanes flying above with advertisements trailing behind them. The hectic energy that I briefly felt during the day is completely absent now.

Yet the most noticeable difference is how quiet it is at night. You can't hear the laughter or screaming of young children as they play in the waves. There's no music blaring from someone's bluetooth speaker, radio, or phone. There's no seagulls sailing around in the air, squawking for scraps of food from picnickers.

At night, all you can hear is the pounding of the waves on the shore - the sound so dominant that it blocks out the noise of the nearby traffic.

The mood here is peaceful. You could get lost in your thoughts in a place like this. There's nothing to distract you. The only company we have are the distant boats and ships that drift on the horizon, their exteriors blinking in multicoloured lights.

Several minutes into my quiet reverie, I'm reminded that I'm not alone when I hear Edward draw in and release a breath. My head turns away from the waves and towards him. I intend to ask what he thinks about the place. Does he feel as comfortable and relaxed here as I do?

Yet the words die on my tongue before I can even speak.

He's looking straight ahead, appearing to watch the moon's rippling reflection on the water. The side of his face that I can see is bathed in the glow of the moonlight, making his skin look as pale as alabaster. It's strangely beautiful - in a totally masculine way, of course. His jaw is in shadow, its edge pleasingly square and defined. His hair has been ruffled by his fingers and blown around by the wind, yet somehow it still looks perfect.

Edward is undoubtedly a handsome man. I've known that ever since the moment I first saw him at the Cullen family home. But he's my best friend. I don't let things like extreme attractiveness or dazzling charm distract me from that fact.

Well, _almost_ never.

I catch myself slipping sometimes. He might wink at me teasingly and I'll find myself breathing a little faster. Sometimes he'll send me a text right before I'm set to begin a tough college exam that says something sweet and encouraging that touches me, thereby making my heart ache in a way that it shouldn't. Or I'll see a disarming, lopsided smile on his face as he watches TV and then I'll want to do nothing but watch him for the remainder of whatever we're watching.

During those weak moments, I've almost admitted that I look forward to our daily Jeopardy battles more than any date that I have had since I hit seventeen.

But then I always remind myself why I can never do that.

Just like I do now.

"It's really pretty here at night," I say to break not only the silence but also my inappropriate thoughts.

"Mmm hmm," he hums in agreement, his face still pointed away from me.

Sensing that he isn't in the mood to talk, I turn my head around and go back to studying the water. At night the ocean looks dark and brooding. Beautiful, though a little scary. You can't see what the ocean my be hiding under the waves at this time of night. But during the day it's a different story. The light of the sun brings out gorgeous colors to captivate you. You can see how the water grows progressively bluer the deeper it descends, going from aquamarine to a brilliant sapphire. Towards the shoreline, it's a vibrant green. And even more intriguing, the water is crystal clear. It hides nothing from you. You can see the life that swims underneath the surface in perfect clarity. The emerald water shimmers in the sunlight, welcoming and warming you to your very core.

In fact, it looks a lot like-

"You know, I've never been to a place like this before," I blurt out, desperately trying to keep my thoughts in check. Angling my face towards the sea, I say, "Before I left Phoenix, I had never been within three hundred miles of the ocean. Then I moved to Seattle and finally got a taste of it. But you know how it is there. Summer lasts for about three weeks and then it's back to being too rainy to swim. And even then the water is way too cold for me to enjoy it. I think I've put my feet in the Pacific three times in the three years since I've lived in Washington."

"Hmm," is all he grunts as a response.

Reverting back to silence, I occupy myself by watching a passenger jet as it crosses the dark indigo sky. What Edward is concentrating on, I have no clue.

"So... Are you saying that before we came here, you never really swam in the ocean before?" he asks out of the blue. I take a glance at him and see that he is still staring straight ahead.

"Yeah."

Several seconds go by.

"And, I assume that this is your first time seeing the ocean after dark... Correct?"

"Uh-huh," I reply.

Thirty seconds more passes.

Abruptly, I feel movement and begin hearing the rustling of fabric coming from my right. My head snaps around and I see Edward standing up, the front of his body pointed towards the ocean. I watch as he untucks and then unbuttons his white collared shirt, starting at the very top. His fingers make quick work of the task, already half finished before I remember that I can indeed talk and ask questions.

"Umm... What are you doing?"

"Going for a swim," he replies nonchalantly.

My eyes blink confusedly several times. "But you don't have a swimsuit with you."

He stops for a moment before he unfastens the last button and turns back around. He is amusedly looking down at me, his body shaking with restrained laughter.

"You don't need a swimsuit to swim, Bella," he smiles. Then he shrugs off his shirt and drops it onto our makeshift jacket/blanket on the ground.

My mouth falls wide open.

"A-are you saying you're going to..."

I pause, taking a breath of air to calm my suddenly rapidly beating heart. My face has flamed up too. Thank god it's dark and he can't see in that great of detail.

I hope.

Squirming nervously, I clear my throat and finish my question, hoping that I can at least keep my voice from cracking like a thirteen year old boy's. "Umm, are you planning to, umm..._skinny dip_?"

Edward doesn't answer right away. Instead he's busy yanking off his white undershirt in that quick, smooth way that only guys seem able to do, and he throws it down. My eyes drift from the growing pile of clothes on the ground, then up to his face, and then down to his chest.

My eyeballs freeze.

His body is lean and fit. There are lines in all of the right places, indicating that all of those times when he told me that he just finished working out at the gym was no lie. He's muscular, but not overly so. His chest is hairless, the only patch of hair I can see begins below his navel and travels down to a place that I really shouldn't be thinking about right now.

"No. I'm not skinny dipping," he finally replies, pulling off his shoes and socks.

But then, seeming to contradict what he just told me, he unbuttons his tan Chinos, unzips them in one fluid motion, and pushes them down to his feet. Suddenly, I'm seeing a whole lot more of him than I'm accustomed to.

I thought I knew everything there is to know about Edward.

I know that he listens to Bach and Chopin when he's driving.

I know that whenever he's watching football or baseball, he will usually cheer for the underdogs - unless the underdogs are playing against our home team.

I even know that a tiny part of him died the day he found Alice's birth control pills sitting out on our bathroom sink. Prior to that day, he had never allowed himself to believe that his sister was an adult that has a healthy sex life.

But one thing that I never knew about him is that he wears gray boxer briefs that should be outlawed. They're flattering, and tight, and...

And if I look much longer I might spontaneously combust.

I stop visually molesting him and force my eyes to look back at his face. He's kicking his pants off of his feet and tosses them on his pile of clothes. Once he's done, he stands there and watches me for a few seconds. Then he announces, "I'm keeping these on."

My eyes (those traitors) dart down for another glimpse of his boxer briefs. I couldn't help it. _He's _the one that brought the subject up again.

Realizing that I'm staring, I smash my eyelids shut for a moment. When I reopen them, I make sure to look at his face and instead of anything else.

"Don't look so shocked, Bella," he says, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Just a few hours ago, there were people here wearing speedos and string bikinis that were much more revealing than this."

Slowly, I nod my head up and down, agreeing with him to a point. It's true that today we saw swimsuits much skimpier than what's on him right now. I saw barely hidden butt cheeks, prominent bulges poking out from much too tight speedos, and Double D boobs that may have been technically covered, yet they still don't hide much more skin than those tassels that burlesque girls once glued to their nipples.

But there's one big difference between the guys that I saw wearing speedos today and Edward right now. And that difference is this- those speedo dudes didn't look _anything_ like him. I could have had a spirited and coherent debate concerning the health of our political climate with the speedo guys without batting an eye.

But right now, I don't think I could intelligently string together more than a few words even if my life depended on it.

Edward looks over his shoulder at the ocean, then back at me. Another smile flashes across his face and he half shrugs.

"Well... here goes nothing."

And then he walks straight into the pounding surf, inadvertantly showing me that the back of his briefs are as mentally stimulating as the front.

My mouth drops open a little once again.

I thought buns of steel was a myth.

But now I know that the legends are true.

As soon as he is waist deep in the water, he dives in and resurfaces a few feet away. He does this over and over again, each time taking him a little further away from the shore. I watch from my spot on the beach and try to anticipate where he'll pop up next, making almost a game out of it.

Then, taking what looks like a deeper breath, he goes under again. For a short second or two, the water ripples in a circular shape where he dove in. I make a guess at where he will resurface, which is a spot a dozen feet away from where I last saw him. But he doesn't reappear there. In fact, he doesn't appear _anywhere_.

I'm not an expert when it comes to swimming. I wouldn't know a breaststroke from a butterfly. But I do know that he has been under the water for an awfully long time. And the longer he's gone and I don't see any sign of him, the more anxiety I feel growing deep inside of me.

I tell myself to not jump to conclusions. He probably has resurfaced and I just can't see from way back here. So, I scramble up from my sitting position and walk to the water's edge. Squinting my eyes, I scan the area where I last saw him dive in and all around its vicinity.

I see nothing.

"Edward?"

I strain my ears listening for his voice or for the sound of him as he splashes through the water.

But I hear nothing.

My heart begins wildly pumping. Fear grips me, my chest tightening with dread. I don't know what I should do. Should go in after him even though I'm a terrible swimmer? Or I should call for help? I'm not sure which is the right choice. But I do know that the longer I just indecisively stand here, the less likely he'll make it out of there alive.

"Edward!"

Psht!

A sound cuts through the air. About twenty to twenty-five yards out, I finally spot him popping up out of the water. From the odd way the moonlight hits him, it puts most of his face in shadow. I can't see him clearly, but I at least know that he is alive.

I'm so relieved.

And so very pissed.

"_You_ _jackass_!" I hiss, clenching my fists. "I thought that you were drowning!" If he were standing next to me and not way out there, I swear that I would be slapping his face for worrying me to death. But after that punishment, I would hug him and not let him go for a very long time. Because even though he's a complete idiot, I can't bear to think that he could ever die.

A couple of his warm, exuberant laughs float over to me, somehow drowning out the noise of the waves. "I was only under for two minutes!"

"Well, it felt a lot longer than that on my end, _Cullen_!" I snap, shooting him a frosty glare that I hope he can see.

He swims closer, his strokes strong and fast. He comes near enough to shore that he can talk to me without yelling.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't mean to scare you. I used to be on my high school's swim team and wanted to see if I could stay under for as long as I used to."

Now that he is closer, I can see his face more clearly. If he was once smiling at me for overreacting, he's not now. His mouth is set in a thin line, looking remorseful.

"Are you mad at me?" he asks.

I wrap my arms around myself and allow a little time to pass before I answer him. A part of me wants to be mad. I want to stomp up to my hotel room, slam the door, and not look at his face for a few hours. But most of me is too grateful that he is breathing to let the angry side win in the end.

Looking down at the sand instead of him, I give him an answer.

"No."

After a minute or two, I lift my head back up and find that he hasn't moved. He's not swimming around like he was before. Edward is just standing there in the water. Watching me.

I start feeling a little guilty for making Edward feel guilty. Before I screamed at him, he looked to be having fun. I don't like that I ruined it for him.

"So... How is it? Having a nice time?" I say in an effort to bring things back to normal.

"It's alright, I guess," he replies using an indifferent tone of voice.

"Then why aren't you swimming?"

He doesn't answer immediately. His mouth twists to the side as though he's thinking.

"I'm bored."

I smile a little, thinking that he sounds like a small child that wants to go home right after his parents drove three hours to the seashore. "You've been in there for all of five minutes. How could you be bored already?"

"It's too boring to swim all by myself."

My smiles disappears.

"_No_."

"Why not?"

"Because it's the middle of the night and there's no life guard on duty." Yes, the excuse is lame but I don't want to give my real reason unless I absolutely have to.

I can hear the smile in his voice when he gives a reply. "Well, lucky you. Guess who worked as a lifeguard at Camp Cascade for two summers in a row?"

I should have known. No wonder he looks like a cast member from _Baywatch_.

"Well... The water's too cold."

"No it's not. It's not cold at all."

"Really?" I suspiciously ask.

"Sure. Walk a few more steps and you'll feel it for yourself."

Curious if he's telling me the truth, I step into the surf until the water covers my feet. It's warm. It feels like lukewarm bathwater. And as the waves wash in and back out, the suction kind of feels nice too.

"See?" he says once he notices me lingering in the water. "Not bad at all, is it?"

"I guess it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

"So, does that mean you're coming in too, or are you just going to soak your ankles in the water like a Victorian era sunbather who doesn't want to ruin her petticoats?"

I shoot him a pointed glare. "Are you seriously peer pressuring me like a teenage boy coercing his friend to smoke a joint in his mommy's basement?"

"Whatever it takes," he chuckles, shrugging.

I stand there with my arms folded across my chest, saying nothing. The water may not be cold, but it _is_ dark. There could be nearly anything creeping around in there. Giant squid. Kraken. Jellyfish. Nervously, I bite down on my lip as I continue to imagine the possibilities.

"Come on, Bella," he sighs. "Please don't do that lip chewing thing. There's nothing to worry about. This is the same beach that we saw hundreds of people swimming in just this morning. The only difference between then and now is that the moon is out instead of the sun."

With shaking fingers, I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "But what about the sharks? If it's only you and me in there, they might attack and try to eat us."

"If that happens, I'll sacrifice myself so that you may escape."

"That's not funny, Edward."

"It wasn't meant to be."

"_Right_," I sarcastically say, rolling my eyes up to the sky.

"It's perfectly safe. And I'll be close by the whole time. If I think we're in danger, I'll get us back to shore in no time."

A minute passes by. I go back to assaulting my bottom lip. He resumes watching and waiting for my decision.

"Are you _sure_ it will be OK?"

"I promise."

Pursing my mouth, I slowly nod my head up and down. "OK."

"OK?" he repeats, sounding faintly surprised.

"Yeah."

"Good. It'll be fun. You'll see," he says, sounding as confident as ever.

I nod my head again though I'm not fully convinced. Then I walk a little more in the water until I'm reminded that I'm not exactly dressed for swimming. My dress is borrowed from Alice and costs the equivalent of two whole paychecks from my job as a barista. Swimming in it is out. So my only option is to do what Edward did. Except I'm not giving anybody a strip show - even if it's only my friend out there that would be watching.

"Umm... Turn around," I order, moving my finger in a circle to demonstrate what I want him to do.

"Hmm?"

"I said turn around... I need to, uh, _get_ _ready_," I hint, jabbing my finger down at my dark blue dress.

He does a quick nod of the head and turns his back to me. Once he has done what I asked, I walk back to our spot on the beach. I take a thorough look around at our surroundings to make sure that there are no Peeping Tom's around. All I see are distant dark buildings. Only our hotel is lit up, and it's still too far away for anyone to make out what I will be doing.

Bending my arm like a contortionist behind me, I unzip my ridiculously short and tight dress until it hits the end of the track. I glance out towards Edward to make sure that he isn't cheating. He's not. So I pull down my dress and toss it on his jacket.

I look down at myself, feeling a little exposed since I'm wearing nothing but a bra and a pair of panties. But what's strange is that even though I'm in basically just my underwear, this looks more demure and covers more of my body than the tiny coral pink bikini that Alice bought for me to wear to the beach. When she gave it to me, I smiled and told her how much I needed a new swimsuit. But what she doesn't know is that when I do put that bikini on, there will also be a baggy t-shirt covering me all the way down to my thighs.

After one last look to make sure that I don't see anyone around, I take a deep breath and walk into the water. I don't stop until Edward is a dozen or so feet ahead of me. Now that the water reaches above my bellybutton, I sink down into it until you can no longer see what I'm wearing. This is the only reason that I can appreciate the water being so dark. But otherwise, I'm scared. Very, very much so.

"OK. I'm here," I announce, my voice shaking as my eyes dart all around. "You can't say that you're bored now."

Quickly, he turns and swims closer. Once he is only a few feet away, he stands up on his feet. His wet hair is plastered to his forehead, sending drops of water dripping down his nose and cheeks. He looks happy in the water. There's a certain twinkle in his eyes that I don't often see.

"Nope. I won't be bored anymore," he agrees with an infectious grin. "And since you braved the dangerous waters tonight, I think that you deserve a reward."

With a wink, he skims his arms across the top of the water and splashes enough water on me to drown a rat, smacking me right in the face and completely drenching my hair.

A few tense seconds tick away as the water drips down my neck.

"Oh, Cullen," I sweetly coo, giving him a faux smile. "You are so _dead_." Then, in retaliation, I splash him with everything I have.

Soon we're engaged in a brutal splash battle. He has the advantage of being tall and fit so he doesn't tire out easily. But I discover that my shortness gives me an edge - there's less of me to hit than him.

All of my worries soon vanish.

By the time Edward calls for a truce, I'm no longer concerned about being strangled by a killer octopus or stepping on a giant crab who thinks my toes look tasty.

Edward starts swimming around like a dolphin, diving in and coming up for air every so often. All I can do is follow him with my eyes since my swimming techniques are limited to floating and doing the dog paddle. And sadly, I've seen three legged dogs paddle faster than me.

So I flip on my back and float on the undulating waves, looking up at the stars and enjoying the warmth and tranquillity.

Then something hits the sole of my left foot.

I scream.

Panicking, I briefly go under the surface, spewing out a little seawater from my mouth once I come back up. Standing up, I'm about to take off towards the shore when Edward reappears where I last had my legs stretched out.

He shakes some of the water from his hair, then says, "Did I hit you when I was passing by?"

I release a breath and clutch the area above my heart. "Oh thank god that was you," I gasp with closed eyes. "I thought that it was something dangerous."

Pivoting his head to the side, he rubs his chin for a moment. His eyes lock on my face. "Who ever said that I'm not dangerous?"

"Yeah," I giggle. "I'm sure everyone in Seattle shivers in terror whenever they see you rolling by in your soccer mom car."

The thoughtful, contemplative expression on his face vanishes. "Oh," he ominously chuckles, shaking his head. "You _really_ shouldn't have said that."

He takes a step towards me.

"Dunnn dunnn..."

My eyebrows knit together as I look back at him. "What?"

He takes another step. "Duunnn duunn..."

"Edward? What are you-?"

"Duuuunnnn duun," he cuts in. With his head tipped down, his eyes darken - their gaze piercing.

And he takes another step forward.

"Duuuunnn duunn."

That's when it hits me. He's doing the damn theme song from _Jaws_.

I cross my arms and scowl at him. "That's not funny, Edward. You know how much that movie scares the living hell out of me. And doing it here of all places is not helping me at all."

A wicked grin crawls across his face. Slowly, one of his large hands rises up from the water. Before my eyes, it transforms from being his normal hand to something that truly terrifies me. His fingers curl in on themselves, looking almost like a claw.

Horrified, I gape at him, praying that my eyes are playing tricks on me. I thought that he was just teasing me about there being sharks around us. Now I see what his true intentions are.

I take a step backwards towards the shore. "_Don't_."

He only wiggles his fingers menacingly as a response.

I now know, without a doubt, that I am in _serious_ trouble.

"Duunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun!" he sings, his hand coming frighteningly close.

Without another thought, I whip my body around and start paddling towards land. I know that it's useless. I've seen how well he swims. If he wanted, he could catch me in seconds. But that's not what he wants. He likes the thrill of the chase. He wants to hear me shriek and beg for mercy.

He is the predator. I am the prey.

The monster inside of him has reawakened.

And the only way it can be satisfied is by tickling me to death.

I think I'd rather take my chances with a shark.

"No!" I yell as I swim away.

The mocking song has stopped but the sounds of his approach is far more scarier. I'm freakishly affected by tickling. Edward learned early on in our friendship that all he has to do to torture me is wiggle his fingers a little as though he is about to tickle and I'll start laughing and hyperventilating. Yet sometimes that's not enough for him. Sometimes the only thing that seems to bring him joy is to _really_ give it to me. He won't stop until I'm yelling for mercy while simultaneously telling him that I'll be pouring sugar into the gas tank of his beloved Volvo if he doesn't cut it out.

As soon as I make it to the shallow water, my feet hit the bottom and I run as fast as I can towards the beach. I don't know where I'll go, but I'm sure as hell not going to just stand around.

Out of nowhere, arms catch me around my waist while writhing fingers dig into my sides. "Son of a-!" I yelp pathetically as I stumble to the ground.

As soon as I hit the wet sand, Edward's head appears over me, his hands tickling me as I laugh/cry. I scream for him to stop, but it sounds too much like giggling for him to take me seriously.

When I try to squirm away, he grabs both of my wrists and pins them above my head, locking them as effectively as a pair of cuffs. "Now where do you think _you're_ going?" he teases, serenely smiling.

"Edward! Stop!" I gasp just as his fingers attack my armpit, which is probably the weakest spot on my entire body.

"Oh, I will. I _promise_ I will," he placidly replies while he continues to torture me. "I'll stop as soon as you take back that disparaging remark that you made a few moments ago. It was something about my car."

"Your soccer mom car?" I yell rebelliously, which only results in his finger tickling me more. My laughter kicks up a notch, sounding almost hysterical. "Fine! It's no-not a mom car! It's very mmmmanly! Only really smart people drive that kind of Volvo!"

His fingers stops tickling and his smile widens. "Why, thank you! Now we can finally agree on something," he chuckles down at me.

I would probably tell him to piss off if he wasn't currently still within tickling striking distance.

I blink the tears away in my eyes from laughing so hard, briefly shutting them as I try to calm my breathing down. When I reopen them, I lock eyes with Edward.

We can't seem to stop staring.

His smile is gradually disappearing the longer this goes on. I come to realize that his legs are straddling me at my waist, still holding me down. My arms are still being held captive above my head. But he's not moving to let me go like he normally does. And I'm not telling him to.

Our faces are only a few inches apart. His eyes are wide and penetrating as he stares down at me. Drops of water slide from his soaking wet hair, down the tip of his nose, and lands on my collarbone. His lips are parted open as he breathes. Even in the poor lighting, they look firm and pink.

My vision becomes dizzy.

The world seems to pause in its rotation.

For a fraction of a second, I don't care about anything in the world except this. My heart seems to skip a beat when I realize that I wouldn't mind watching him like this forever.

Then real life slams into us - this time in the form of a large wave. The water rolls over our bodies and goes up my nose, taking us by surprise and sending us scrambling out of the way.

Edward helps drag me away until we reach dry sand. I drop down and bend at my waist, hacking and coughing as he whacks my back.

"Are you OK?" he worriedly asks after I've spit up around a half a cup of salty water.

I nod my head and look over at him. We briefly make eye contact. My face instantly reddens and we mutually dart our eyes away, choosing to look at anything other than each other. The feeling from just moments before as morphed into nothing but awkwardness.

He turns his back so that I can privately put my dress back on. I do the same for him. Since we don't have a towel, I wring out as much water as I can from my hair.

A few minutes later, we're walking inside of the hotel after having said very little to one another ever since the "wave incident". We avoid looking at each other if we can help it. I'm unsure of how to act around him now. Did he feel as weird as I did earlier? Did he feel even a tenth of how I felt then?

I may not know what's going on inside of his head, but there is one thing about him that I can easily see - he looks like a mess. And so do I.

His hair is sticking straight up in damp clumps. Mine is wet and tangled down my back.

He's carrying a designer jacket covered with stubborn grains of white sand that won't come off. I'm carrying a pair of heels that I can't wear because Alice would kill me if I ruined them with my wet, sandy bare feet.

He's wearing his Chinos and a white undershirt that's clinging to his damp skin. I'm wearing my dress plus his button-down shirt to cover up the large wet patches on my dress.

The elegant hotel lobby is empty except for the night clerk working at her desk and a janitor busily buffing the floor. Edward and I keep our focus centered on the elevator. Our faces are nearly expressionless, almost looking haughtily indifferent to our unkempt appearance. But I can't help but notice the clerk's astonished expression as we pass by, her wide eyes following us without seeming to blink. And the janitor can't seem to stop staring at us open-mouthed. I guess seeing guests dressed like shipwreck survivors is not something they see every day.

Edward pushes the elevator button and it opens almost immediately. We step inside and our bodies stand rigidly still. As we wait for the door to close, drops of water fall from my hair and trickle down to my feet.

Right as the elevator door slides shut, I notice the janitor not so subtly raising his phone to take a picture of us. No doubt we'll be on his Instagram tomorrow.

Once Edward and I are alone again, our eyes meet and hold.

And at almost the same time, we smile and break out into a laughing fit - all awkwardness between us gone.

**00000000000000000000**

**A/N- Stupid rogue wave! *angrily shaking fist***

**Thanks for reading! :-)**


	5. Before & After, For 1600

**Chapter 5- Before & After, for 1600**

**00000000000000000000**

The elevator dings and stops on my floor. Still amused by the stunned looks the hotel staff gave us a minute before, Edward and I head towards Alice's and my room at the end of the hall.

"I'm shocked that the night clerk didn't try to stop us. We don't exactly look like this place's idea of stereotypical guests," I say, smiling at the spectacle we had made of ourselves. "A hundred years ago, they would have called us riffraff and summoned the police."

This hotel is chic and classy. It's far more luxurious than the Holiday Inns that I would usually stay at. I'm sure the staff here is accustomed to seeing its guests in ballroom gowns and tuxedoes. In stark contrast, Edward and I look like we just crawled out of the ocean. All that's missing is some seaweed draped in our hair to complete the look.

Edward smirks at me as we walk. "Oh, I highly doubt anyone working here would have been brave enough to confront us. I mean...have you _seen_ how you look right now?"

I smack him playfully in his gut for the teasing and he chuckles. "Shut up. Like _you_ look any better," I mutter, shooting him a faux glare.

His smirk softens. "I didn't say that I did. I'd say we look equally..._unusual_."

I just roll my eyes in response. I saw my reflection in the huge lobby mirror as we passed by. Edward somehow still looks attractive enough that he could star in an Old Spice commercial. I look like something your cat might cough up. There's no equality in _that_.

We arrive at my room moments later. "Well, here we are," I say with a sigh.

His eyes squint and his mouth purses out as though he is in deep thought. Then, he pulls out his wallet from his back pocket and extracts something. "Your things," he says, holding the items out towards me.

I slip out my driver's license and cash from in between his thick fingers and look up at him. "Oh. I forgot all about them... Thanks for keeping them safe for me tonight. I'm almost positive that if I brought a purse, I would have misplaced it."

That's how our friendship works. We tease and taunt each other constantly - especially during our Jeopardy battles. Yet, in the end, we always try to look out for each other. That's one of the things I love about the Cullens. Not only are they funny, but they are thoughtful as well.

"It was no problem," he assures me, his hands slipping deep into his trouser pockets.

I give a quick smile in return before I devote my attention to getting inside of my room. Without really thinking about my actions, my hand grasps the cold doorknob and I turn it. And that's when something occurs to me that I should have realized much sooner.

My forehead falls with a _plunk_ onto the hard, wooden door. "I'm locked out," I groan.

"What?"

"Alice has the key," I explain with eyes squeezed shut, frustrated at myself for being stupid enough for leaving something so important behind. "I left _my_ key card in the room since I assumed we'd be together all night."

I feel Edward's hand wrap around my shoulder and gently turn me around. His warm, sympathetic eyes fill my vision, blocking out everything else. "Don't panic just yet," he soothingly replies. "Maybe she's back already." Before I can respond, he balls his hand into a fist and raps a few times upon the door.

But as I had already anticipated, Alice never answers. It's still early if you live by nightclub time. I'm sure she's still there with Jasper. And I can't say that I can blame her. If I finally met the guy from my (literal) dreams, I wouldn't be in any hurry to leave him just yet either.

"Can I panic _now_?" I deadpan, raising my eyebrows in a I-told-you-so expression.

Edward stares back quietly for several moments, his eyes faintly moving as he examines my face. "No," he breathes out. "You're not going to panic because you have no reason to worry. You can come to my room and wait for Alice. I'm sure she'll call once she gets back and sees that you're not in your room."

Crossing my arms, I tilt my head smugly and try not to laugh. "You're forgetting one teeny detail. What if she _doesn't_ come back tonight? What if Alice and Jasper have fallen so hard for one another that they _fall_ right into bed and have mind-blowing sex all nigh-"

His hand immediately covers my mouth. "Bella, don't say the words _sex_ and _Alice_ in the same sentence," he pleads, his lips curled in disgust. "You're going to give me a complex."

Once he removes his hand, I smile up at him. "Fine. I won't say another word about it. God only knows what womankind would do if _Edward_ _Cullen_ had sexual insecurities for the rest of his life all because of what I said one night as a joke... Well, technically, I guess it's not a joke, is it? Because it _is_ possible that she and Jasper-"

"Bella," Edward growls in warning.

"Oops," I say in faux innocence.

He heaves out a sigh and pulls me along by my elbow as he walks us back towards the elevator. "How about we leave the comedy routine to the professionals for tonight, hmm? I'm too tired right now to deflect jokes of that magnitude."

I drop the teasing for the moment and stop walking, wanting on get back to our main problem. "I can't ask for you to take me in for the night," I say seriously.

He softly laughs, shaking his head. "Oh. I know _that_. You rarely ask for anything for yourself. That's why I am _insisting_ that you stay...at least until Alice comes back."

"But that could be for hours."

He casually shrugs. "So? I don't mind."

"But aren't you tired?"

"Yes," he slowly drawls, not seeing my point.

I take a breath of air and squirm nervously, avoiding his gaze. "So wouldn't you want to - umm - sleep instead of entertaining me?" I mumble.

"Well, yes. I was planning on sleeping. As a matter of fact, that's what I assumed we would _both_ be doing."

My eyes dart back to his face. Edward and I have fallen asleep together lots of times. We stay up late watching movies or just talking until we can't keep our eyes open. It never felt inappropriate or awkward before because Alice was always there too. But she won't be here tonight.

And that brings up more problems.

"But didn't you only get a single room?" I press.

"Yes."

"So that means there's only one bed," I hint.

"Well, yes. You're correct on that front. But it is a fairly large one. There's plenty of room."

My eyes glance down at the carpeted floor, suddenly feeling shy and prude. Having Edward in the same bed as me without having his sister as our buffer makes me uneasy. I shouldn't complain, I guess. There's loads of women that would cut off their right arm for the opportunity of having a man like Edward be in the same bed as them. But I'm not sure if this is a good idea in my case.

He makes a noise in the back of his throat and my attention focuses back on his face. His skin has lost some of it's healthy color and his eyes appear cautious. "Are you worried about being alone with me?" he softly questions, sounding as if he is insinuating that I don't trust him.

"No!" I yelp, shaking my head. Because the truth is, I'm not worried about him. _I trust him_. He would never push himself on me. The problem that I'm having right now is that I'm not sure if I can trust _myself_. I am a woman who hasn't had a boyfriend in months, and the thought of having a warm, male body within groping distance is messing with my head. How horrible would it be if we fall asleep, and then, in the middle of the night, I begin reenacting scenes from my naughty dreams on his slumbering body? That would certainly lead to an awkward confrontation.

But I guess he doesn't quite believe me when I told him that I'm not worried about him. He says in a gentle tone, "I'll stay on top of the blankets, Bella. It won't be much different from when we crash on the couch at your apartment."

I try to take heart in what he is saying. He's right as usual. It will be the same as it always is. Just because we will be alone in a strange hotel room doesn't mean that things will be different between us. I can control myself. I think.

My shoulders relax and I smile up at him. "OK. That sounds fine. Thank you."

We ride the elevator up two levels until we reach his floor. Edward enters his room first and flicks on the light switch, illuminating the small but comfortable room. The walls are a cool white with a few abstract paintings decorating the interior. The furniture is a dark varnished oak. A large bed littered with a dozen pillows lies in the middle of the room.

But the centerpiece of the room is the view outside. The entire wall that faces the ocean is one gigantic sliding glass door. Beyond the door is a balcony that pokes out from the hotel. A couple of chairs and a table sit there so guests can enjoy the scenery.

I wander over to the glass and peek out. I'm sure the view by day is fantastic. You could probably see for miles. But by night all I can see are the blinking warning lights of a distant buoy, the amber glow of a cruise ship as it sails by, and the moon.

A rustling noise from behind me breaks my concentration and I whip around. Edward is digging through his suitcase, occasionally examining an item before he either stuffs it back in or drops it on the sky blue mattress.

After a short time, he zips the suitcase up and lugs it back to the corner of the room. Walking towards me, he hands me a few clothing choices. "I wasn't sure what might fit you," he admits, rubbing the back of his neck. "So I gave you a variety... You can have the shower first."

I glance down at the clothes and then up at him, smiling at the sweet gesture. I hadn't even considered what I would wear. I likely would have just slept in my dress and had a crappy night of sleep.

Edward thinks of everything.

I thank him and go directly to the bathroom. After a quick shower, I squeeze out some toothpaste on my finger and scrub my teeth as best as I can, promising myself that I'll brush them extra clean once I get back to my room.

I slip on a plain white t-shirt that fits loosely on my shoulders. Edward gave me a couple of bottoms to choose from: sweat pants or a pair of maroon swim trunks that fall to my knees. I try them both on one at a time. The sleep pants are too big and won't stay in place, so I decide to wear the swim trunks since they can be tied securely with their drawstring.

He uses the bathroom next. While he showers, I busy myself by turning on the TV and watch an infomercial where women smear some stuff on their foreheads that looks like vomit mixed with acai. They keep telling me how their lives are meaningful again now that they have one less wrinkle. All I have to do is shuck out two easy payments of $49.99 for a vial the size of a thimble and I too can live a happy life.

I hate infomercials - especially ones like this one. But I think it's safer for me to focus on snake oil serums and wrinkles than think about the soapy nakedness of the man in the next room.

Edward saunters in after around ten minutes. He's in charcoal black sleep pants and a snug fitting gray shirt. I take a relieved breath when I see that he chose to wear a full set of clothing tonight. If he had walked in wearing nothing but his underwear again (like down at the beach), I might have died from sexual frustration. It's been a while since I've been with a man. A long, _long_ while.

I let him pick which side of the bed he wants. He goes with the one closest to the bathroom and hotel door. While he turns out the light and flicks the TV off, I crawl into bed and slip under the sheet.

The room plunges into darkness. However, the moon's light is bright enough for me to watch as he climbs into the bed - staying on top of the bedding like he promised. But the room is air conditioned and cool. I hate to imagine him trying to sleep without something covering him. It would be uncomfortable.

I sit up and tug the top blanket off, reserving the crisp white sheet for me. I then throw the blanket over him and fall limply back onto the bed, turning on my right-hand side in order to watch his reaction.

Edward blinks a few times in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Keeping you from freezing to death," I smile. "I didn't want you to become the first human to die from hypothermia during a heatwave in Florida."

He chuckles and lays on his side. "Thanks. I'm glad that you thought of that."

"You're welcome. Now you'll just be in my debt forever since I saved your life. No biggie," I tease, making his grin wider.

We lay silently for a while after that. I close my eyes and relax, surprised that I can even do so at all since I have company close by.

"Bella?" Edward says from beside me.

"Hmm?" I mumble with my eyes clamped shut.

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier."

His tone alerts me that something is wrong. It's his self-flagellation voice that he uses when he feels guilty about something. But what that could be, I can't imagine.

My eyes fly open and stare at him. "You _do_ realize that I have no clue what you're talking about, right?" I remind him.

"I'm referring to the incident at the club."

"Oh. You're talking about... Arnie or Aro or whatever the hell his name was, aren't you? Well, don't worry about it. It turned out OK in the end."

"That's not my point. If I hadn't left to pick up some drinks for us at the bar, that man would never have bothered you in the first place," he says between clenched teeth.

"Don't do that. Don't beat yourself up just because a creep decided to proposition me. It happens all the time. If it wasn't him annoying me, there probably would have been some other dipshit to take his place. I'm like a douchebag magnet. It's my curse. Every jackass in the area is automatically attracted to me."

"That's not making me feel any better, Bella," Edward mutters in clear disgust.

"Well, if you're going to blame yourself tonight then I guess I owe you an apology, too."

"For what?" he asks with knitted brows.

"I ruined your night. You were in the middle of talking to that beautiful ubermodel at the bar and you had to leave her just because of what happened to me."

I hear a noise that I first assume is a sigh. But as it intensifies, I realize that it is actually snickering. Edward is _laughing_.

"If that's what you're apologizing about, then I can assure you that it's completely unnecessary," Edward says with a grin. "First of all, I couldn't see our table from where I was positioned, so I didn't know anything about what was happening with you until _after_ I willingly left the bar and the woman you are referring to. Secondly, the woman had approximately ten brain cells to her name. She strode up to the bar and called me 'Alec'. I quickly let her know that she was mistaken, but she insisted that I, her _dear Alec,_ was merely playing a trick on her. Also, based upon the brief conversation I had with her, I discovered that she speaks fluent Valley Girl. She used the word '_like_' three times in twenty seconds and called me '_totes adorbs_'. I can't tell you how relieved I was when the bartender finally handed me our drinks so I could escape."

I try to hide my smile but it's impossible. His story is just too funny. Plus it makes me feel better to know that he didn't fall madly in love with someone only to have me ruin it for him. "Yikes. I guess you're right. I shouldn't apologize for interrupting you two after all. I think I'll just feel sorry for you instead."

"Thanks," he softly snorts, rolling his eyes.

My smile grows wider as a memory from earlier tonight floods my consciousness. "You know, on second thought, maybe what happened to you _is_ my fault. I slacked in my babysitting duties and allowed a female unworthy of you to slip between the cracks. Shame on me," I lightly laugh.

Edward sits up a few inches, balancing on his side by his elbow. "What?" he barks, looking faintly concerned.

"Now don't go getting mad," I begin, arching my eyebrow. "Alice_ made me_ promise to help her tonight. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to watch out for you all by herself, so she asked me to keep an eye out for conniving gold diggers and deflect them away from you. I tried telling her that you're more than capable of taking care of yourself but she begged for my help. And you know how hard it is to go against her when she begs, Edward. I was powerless against it."

His body loosens up enough to allow him to lie back down, but something about his face is off. Instead of relaxing, he still looks tense. "I'm not angry," he begins slowly, releasing a breath. "But I'm finding it strange that Alice asked you to watch out for me tonight - especially since she asked me to do the same for you."

I stare at him for a few beats before I burst out laughing. "_Really_? She told you to keep an eye out for _me_? Do I look like I need protection from 'gold digging' men? The ATM machine laughs at me whenever I ask to withdrawal cash from my checking account. I don't have anything to offer guys like that."

He shakes his head slowly. "No. That wasn't the reason she gave me. She told me that your 'sweet, trusting nature left you vulnerable to sexual deviants hiding in sheep's clothing'. Those were _her_ words."

"Are you serious?" I say, giggling harder.

"Yes," he replies, his voice flat. He doesn't seem to find the situation funny like I do.

Wiping the tears away from my eyes, I take a calming breath before I speak again. "Well, that's just ridiculous. I can look out for myself. Most of those 'sexual deviants' reveal their true selves within around thirty seconds from their introductory speech. Alice goes _way_ overboard sometimes."

Silence overtakes us for several moments as I think over what he said and its implications. A worrisome thought hits me.

"Edward?" I say, nibbling my lip.

"Yes?"

"Is that why you refused to leave me by myself tonight? Because of what Alice warned you about?" I don't like to think that he felt obligated to hang out with me all night long.

"No," he quickly replies. Then, with a musing expression, he reluctantly adds, "Well, I suppose that's not completely honest. It's best if I say that it was _one_ of two reasons why."

"What's the other reason?"

His mouth puckers to the side contemplatively a few moments, as if deliberating something. "Do you really want to know?" he eventually asks.

"Sure."

"It's selfish," he warns.

"I can handle it."

"Alright... I didn't leave because I knew I would be bored if I did."

Now I am _really_ laughing. It's one of those belly laughs that leave you barely able to breathe.

"How is _that_ funny?" he smirks. "I'm telling you the truth."

"It's funny because of the irony," I gasp between my laughing fits. "All you did was sit at a table for most of the night at the ritziest club in town, and yet you claim that you would have been 'bored' doing something of actual interest."

"You're forgetting that I wasn't alone at the table tonight," he reminds me. "Talking to you for half the night sounds infinitely more interesting than drinking myself into a stupor, or dancing with strangers that believe Thomas Hardy wrote the Hardy Boys kids' books."

My nose scrunches up at that last comment. "_Please_ tell me that you're joking and that you haven't come across people that actually believe that."

A wide smile stretches across his face once he catches my horrified reaction. "Unfortunately, that is a one hundred percent true story. During my freshman year, I was set up on a blind date with someone who was quote 'perfect for me'. And to her credit, she seemed to be a nice girl. But once I tried to speak of subjects beyond what was my favorite _Game Of Thrones_ episode, she and I were unable to find common ground. Along with the Thomas Hardy confusion, I found that she was unaware of even a quarter of the authors you would find on any high school reading list."

My eyes squint slightly as I think. "Twain?" I ask curiously. I would think that nearly every educated person knows who he is.

"She never heard of him."

"Jonathan Swift?"

"I didn't ask, but she likely would have assumed he was Taylor Swift's brother," he dryly remarks.

Stifling a giggle, then I say, "Charlotte Bronte?"

"She thought I was referring to an extinct species of dinosaur," he reveals with a dispirited sigh.

"You poor thing," I smile, shaking my head. "No wonder you stuck by me all night at Club Eclipse. Even the thought of going through something like that again must be traumatizing."

Edward's smile reappears before he responds. "Well, I'm not going to complain. After all, I was able to spend the evening with the smartest, funniest person at that club."

My cheeks heat up in the darkness. "Since when did you start making it a habit to refer to yourself in third person?" I lamely joke.

"Ha ha," he deadpans, his eyes narrowing. "You know that I am referring to _you_."

"I know," I say, smiling shyly. "And thank you."

We go silent again for a long time - so long, in fact, that I feel myself succumbing to exhaustion. The quiet hum of the air conditioning lulls me to sleep. My eyes grow heavy, gradually losing the fight to stay open. My breathing slows and evens out. I haven't felt this tired in ages.

"What are you going to do once you graduate?" Edward's voice murmurs.

My body jerks in fright. My eyes pop open and I see him staring back at me, one of his arms tucked under his head. He looks wide-awake - unlike me.

Suppressing a yawn, I blink a few times. "Umm... I'm not sure exactly. I guess the first thing I should do is find an actual career so I can quit the coffee shop. It will be great to finally have a grown up job."

"What sort of career are you shooting for?"

I shrug my shoulder. "I'm not too picky. Something that I can put my English Lit degree to good use would be nice."

"So you'll likely want a book publishing company to hire you? Or a magazine distributor?"

"Not necessarily," I say, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. "A lot of tech and manufacturing companies hire English Lit majors to oversee their social media campaigns and things like that. There's a surprising amount of places that appreciate an employee that can write in proper English and quote Shakespearean sonnets by heart."

He remains quiet for a few beats before he says anything else. "But where are you planning to live?" he presses.

My forehead creases in confusion. "_Seattle_. In the same apartment that I've lived in for the past two years. Where else would I go?"

Slowly, the tip of his tongue passes across his dry lips and he roughly swallows. "Well, I wasn't sure. Lots of people move away once they graduate. And I'm sure some publishing house in New York would like nothing more than to hire you."

"That's nice for you to say, but I'm not leaving Seattle, Edward," I faintly smile.

"Why not?"

My eyes briefly flick away from his face, choosing to instead look at the few inches of space that separates us on the bed. "Because I'm not strong enough," I reply in a half whisper.

"Bella," he sighs, sounding slightly frustrated.

Hesitantly, I look back at into his eyes. "It's true. I wouldn't be able to handle moving again."

He shakes his head at me, his gaze piercing through the darkness. "But that's where you're wrong. You are the _strongest_ person I know."

"So you think I should move?" I murmur anxiously. I had always pictured the three of us going along, much as we do now, for years to come. Alice and I sharing an apartment while Edward lives one floor below. Late night movie marathons until we all pass out around 2 am. Impromptu trips to the sports bar down the street. I had become accustomed to living and hanging out with at least one Cullen all of the time. Now it sounds as though Edward wouldn't mind if I lived a thousand miles away. That thought hurts me to my very core.

"I didn't say that," he fires back, his expression serious. "All I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't limit your life just because you lack confidence in yourself. I want you to be happy."

"But if I move, I won't have you and Alice anymore," I respond uneasily. "You're all I have left. I...I don't think I'm strong enough mentally to start all over again. _Once_ was enough."

It looks like he was about to say something, but his mouth snaps shut before he says a word. Silently, he observes me. Seconds turn into a full minute as he mulls over what I have admitted. "So this is about your mother then," he eventually announces to the room.

"No," I huff out. His stare intensifies and sharpens, seeing right through my lie. "OK... Maybe a little," I reluctantly admit soon afterwards. "It's just that for most of my life, I had _one_ person I could count on - and that was Mom. She was everything to me. Mother. Father. Best friend. _Everything_... Then one day she started not feeling well. She brushed it off at first, thinking it was a cold and that it would go away on its own. It never did. Eventually she goes to her regular doctor who then refers her to a specialist. And that doctor tells her she has three months left to live."

My eyes well up from the painful images that I can still see in my mind after all of this time. Her once cheerful, healthy face that grew progressively sallow and skeletal as disease ravaged her body. Her once bright blue eyes that became jaundiced and forlorn. And worst of all, those final days where no amount of medicine helped relieve the pain and suffering she was going through. It was torture for her. And it was brutal for me to watch.

"She went downhill fast," I go on in a faltering voice. "_Too fast_. She died six weeks after she was diagnosed... She didn't even get those three months like the doctor first said."

Edward throws off his blanket, sits up on his knees, scoops me up from my lying position on the bed, and holds me close as the tears drip down my face. My head collapses onto his shoulder and my eyes shut, grasping at whatever comfort that he is willing to give. His hand rubs and pats my back soothingly, reminding me of a parent trying to console their young, crying child.

"I was an eighteen year old orphan," I murmur, trying to swallow down the pain. "No one knew what to do with me or how to act. People either told me how sorry they were and then left without giving me another thought, or they tried to pretend that everything would be OK and that I would cheer up in a few days time... I felt so alone. I went from having Mom as my everything to having no one at all. It was..." I pause, wishing that there was a word that could properly describe how it felt back then. But there isn't. So I decide to finish my thought by saying, "It was _awful_."

Edward pushes me away a few inches and tilts my face up, his thumb wiping the streaks of wetness from my cheeks. "Bella? May I ask you something?" he asks in a velvety-soft tone, the kind you would use in order to not frighten away an injured animal. I sniff and nod my head a couple of times. He clears his throat and says, "We've known one another for awhile now. I've heard you talk about your Mom here and there, but you've never mentioned your father... Why is that?" Something on my face must show him how uncomfortable this subject is making me because he quickly adds, "Of course, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'll understand."

That's the thing about Edward. He always understands. I know that I could tell him right now that I don't want to talk about it and he wouldn't push it. But the other thing that I like about him is that I can tell him nearly anything and he wouldn't judge me. He'll give me his opinion but he won't guilt-trip me if I don't follow his advice. He's like my therapist as well as my friend.

"It's all right. I don't mind telling you," I say sadly. "The reason why I don't talk about him is because that man was never a father to me. He knocked Mom up when she was in college and took off as soon as she told him that I was on the way. The most he has ever done for us was send Mom child support until I was technically an adult... I don't even know what he looks like. All I know about him is that he lives somewhere around D.C. and that he works for a police department there."

"Have you ever considered trying to contact him?" Edward wonders. "Of course, I'm not going to condone what he did. Running off like that is inexcusable. But that _was_ a long time ago. Maybe he's changed since then but is too ashamed by what he did to initiate contact with you. I know that if I was in his shoes and had a daughter that I had never met, I would do anything for the chance to get to know her."

I try to smile at his innocent suggestion but I can't do it. There's nothing to be happy about when it comes to this part of my life. If I had a friend in my shoes, I would probably suggest the very same thing. But in this case, I have already been there, done that. And it stings to think about it.

"I tried," I reply in monotone. "When I hit sixteen, I found him on Facebook. His profile was set to private, so I didn't see much of anything. I wrote him a message telling him who I was and how I wanted to talk to him - and maybe even visit him one day. A few hours later, he messaged me back. He wrote that while he wished me the best, he didn't think that it would be a good idea for us to stay in contact. He didn't want to hurt his current wife or their children by 'rubbing the mistakes of his past life in their faces'... So after that enlightening message, I gave up and accepted that it was just Mom and me."

Edward's eyes have hardened and his lips form into a thin line. Each of his hands grab onto my shoulders. "He doesn't _deserve_ to know you," he growls, his fingers tightening around me in outrage.

"So _now_ do you understand?" I utter quietly, watching in awe of the fire burning in his gaze. "I went from having nothing in Phoenix to having _something_ in Seattle. First I found Alice, and then you. You're all the family I have left. If I move away, I'll have nothing. And I can't do that again. I've been alone enough in my life."

As my words penetrate through his angry thoughts, his eyes lose some of their fury and soften, looking as sympathetic and warm as ever. "That's not true. You could move to Mars and you would still have us hounding you night and day. Unfortunately for you, you are stuck with us now. There is no escape."

He somehow accomplishes the impossible - he makes me smile through the pain. "Really?"

"Of course," he assures me. Seconds afterwards, he huffs out a laugh and grins. "Did you know that Alice was pissed at me for months after I enrolled at Northwestern?"

I shake my head haltingly, bewildered by the abrupt topic change.

"Well, she was," he continues. "_Royally pissed_, I might add. She complained about how I was breaking up our family unit by moving to a state so far away from home. She complained that Illinois was a place that was too cold and far away for her to visit as frequently as she would have liked. She also complained that she wouldn't know anyone at UDub and that she would be forever alone since she wouldn't have me nearby to keep her company.

"Then, on the very day she moves into the dorms at UDub, I get a phone call from her. I remember thinking to myself, _'Well, here we go again. Another hour where Alice is going to cry into the phone saying that she's lonely and bored and that the world is going to end since I left her to fend for herself_.' So, I answer my phone (expecting the very worse, mind you), when instead I hear her greet me normally. You could even venture to say that she sounded _happy_. And do you know what she told me?" Edward doesn't give me enough time to respond before he answers his own question. "She told me that she had just met her new sister."

Despite the tear that escapes from my eye, I laugh a little. "She did not," I say dismissively, believing that he is exaggerating.

He holds up his right hand and says, "Scout's honor. That's exactly what she said. She told me that her new roommate was going to hereby be her best friend for life. She went on and on about how great you were and how you two were going to have so much fun together. She didn't whine or complain about how I had abandoned her at all. It was an amazing transformation on her part - and it's all because of you... And at the end of our conversation, she said that she hopes that I find someone just as great as _Bella_ at Northwestern to keep me company." One corner of his mouth curls up into a lopsided smile. "Guess what? I never did. It wasn't until she introduced me to _her_ best friend did I finally find my own... Thank goodness Alice doesn't mind sharing or else we'd be in constant battle over who gets to hang out with you," he teases with a wink.

I roll my eyes a little. "That's bull crap and you know it. It wasn't as cut and dried as you're making it sound. You hated me when we first met," I remind him.

"No I didn't. I underestimated you because I thought you would be as brainless as Alice's past acquaintances. But I _never_ hated you. And that was a mistake that I quickly learned my lesson from. You impressed me more than you'll ever know."

My lips twitch, trying not to smile. "Yeah. I guess I did kick your ass pretty thoroughly during our first Jeopardy game."

"That wasn't what I was referring to," he smirks.

"But you have to admit that it _was_ impressive. I swept the entire last category before Final Jeopardy started. I think your jaw dropped once you saw how I well I knew the masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance."

He chuckles a few times. "Yes, that _was_ impressive now that you mention it," he concedes.

Gradually, his laughter fades and an unsure, weak smile settles in. It's a look that I very rarely see from him. Usually, he exudes confidence. Why would he not? He's brilliant. Charming. Attractive. There's nothing about him that should make him feel anything less than perfect. I'm not sure how I should interpret this change in himself.

"I'm not talking about your superior trivia knowledge right now," he goes on more seriously, his gaze lowering to look me full in the eye. "I'm talking about the other things I noticed about you that impressed me. For one, you were kind to me even when you had every right to be annoyed by my earlier behavior. I was an arrogant asshole that deserved to be told off, but you didn't. Instead you forgave me and overlooked all of that. Later, I saw how giving and hard-working you were when you helped Mom with the Thanksgiving meal - even after she told you that guests shouldn't have to slave away in the kitchen. Yet you insisted and worked just as hard as she did... I saw how humble you were when Alice was bragging about how wonderful you were to everyone within shouting distance. You kept whispering to her to shut up about it. But it was when she told us about how you were already well on your way to receiving a near perfect GPA did you reveal another side of yourself."

He pauses mid-thought. Gently, his finger sweeps along my cheekbone and trails down to the corner of my jaw. There it stops and lingers, barely moving on my skin. "You blushed the most unusual shade of pink," he mutters gently, finishing his thought aloud. "I'd never seen anything like it before. The same girl that I had seen fist-pumping the air after she beat me at a TV gameshow was extraordinarily shy when it comes to people complementing her. You were like a walking contradiction. That's when I knew for certain that you were unlike anyone else I had ever known... Sometimes I wonder if some higher power picked up a cookie cutter one day and decided to make thousands of identical copies of the same human. They act the same. Think the same. Walk, talk, and laugh the same. And the few characteristics about themselves that make them unique, they try to hide from the world in order to blend in. But you are different. _You_ are special. You don't care if you're not like the _In_ _Crowd_. You march by the beat of your own drummer. And trust me when I say that the discovery was like a breath of fresh air."

With his hand placed under my jaw, his thumb begins stroking along the underside of it, causing my skin to erupt in goosebumps. "So you see, Alice and I need you just as much as you need us," he whispers, his voice smokey and smooth. He draws in another breath and releases it slowly, his eyes temporarily shutting. "We were incomplete until we met you. And no matter where you go or what you do, you'll always have me...and Alice."

When his eyes reopen and meet my own, my breath catches. They entrap me, holding me hostage by their intensity. His eyes are bottomless. So alive and raw. Not even the darkness of the room can hide the beauty of his pools of green. It feels like if I were to venture any closer to them, I would fall and never resurface.

That feeling I had earlier at the beach returns at full force - but this time there is nothing to disturb us. There is only him and me and the electric sensation that crackles in between us. It feels terrifying, yet so familiar at the same time. It's a sensation that I guess I've always felt under the surface but never tried to encourage nor investigate. I don't know for sure if he feels it or if it's just me. But it's a question that I'm dying to know the answer to.

It's not long before my body demands that I move closer. I want to shut my eyes and concentrate on the woodsy scent that is coming from his skin. My fingers want to bury themselves into his hair until my nails hit his scalp. My arms want to wrap around his neck and feel the throbbing of his jugular vein against my skin. My lips want to touch his and finally experience what I have been denying myself for so long.

But I fight against it. Just like I always do.

I'm thinking...

Edward is my friend - half of my family. I can't go casually kissing my friend without expecting problems to arise. It leads to trouble. I've seen it happen before between friends when they're drunk. They get overly affectionate and flirt. Then, before you know it, they're all over each other. Occasionally they limit themselves to making out until they fall into an alcohol induced coma. But sometimes it turns into meaningless sex that neither of them can quite remember the details of afterwards. By the next day, the buzz from the night before has vanished. The two friends usually either ignore what they did and pretend it never happened, or they spend weeks avoiding one another - too embarrassed to deal with the consequences of their drunken escapades.

Even worse than that, kissing could lead to more serious problems. It can cause friends to transition into a romantic, sexual relationship. And relationships are dangerous. One second you can't wait to see your boyfriend because you haven't seen him all day. The next second you're sick of seeing his smug face all the damn time. Or even worse, your boyfriend breaks your heart into a thousand pieces and stomps on the remains until there's nothing left. Either way you look at it, the relationship ends - and you lost not only your boyfriend, but also your friend.

So, in summary, kissing your friend either leads to awkwardness or a relationship. Relationships often lead to a bad breakup. And bad breakups ruin whatever friendship the two of you may have once had.

Is it really worth risking a friendship over something that may not last long at all? I don't think it is. It offers no guarantees. No safety net. I would rather spend my life suppressing any feelings I may have for Edward than risk losing him in the long run. He's too important to me.

So I shouldn't think about how he is making my insides turn to mush just by the way he is staring.

I shouldn't take notice how his lips have parted open, seemingly welcoming and warm. Or how his eyes have darkened, consuming me completely.

And I _really_ shouldn't consider eliminating these last few inches that separate us and placing my mouth over his. It's a dumb, risky move that could ruin everything that I have managed to acquire since my mother's death. Now that I have Edward in my life, I would be an idiot if I wrecked our relationship just to see what his lips taste like.

Yet somewhere deep inside of my head, I hear a voice. It's soft at first, but grows increasingly more persistent the longer I keep staring into the eyes of my best friend. Soon, it's all I can hear. It's louder than my frantically beating heart. It's even louder than the frenzied thoughts and fears swirling inside of my head. And all that voice is saying is:

_Stop thinking._

That's it. Yet it feels like the best advice I've gotten in years.

So I give in to my emotions for once. I let go and a heavy weight lifts off of me. I need to do more than just watch him with longing every day. I need to see what will happen if I let emotions guide me instead of being so cautious. I need to know what will happen if I allow myself to indulge for once.

Edward said himself that taking risks makes life more interesting. He told me that I should stop worrying and start living.

I guess it's time for me to test that theory.

My eyes close.

I lean in.

Still standing on our knees on the bed, my mouth lightly presses against the lips of the man that I have admired for years. Smooth and firm, they feel so good that I sigh a little into them

And I want more. So much more.

Tentatively, I move my mouth, wondering if he will go along with me and reciprocate. And he does. His lips begin moving with mine with the same mounting urgency that I feel. The longer our lips stay connected, the more it builds. Unable to hold back any longer, my tongue makes contact with his lip, sliding across its top in one quick movement. His lip is slightly imbued with the mint from his toothpaste, yet I still taste a flavor that is undoubtedly just _him_. It's tangy, with a hint of salt and something else. My tongue swipes again, already addicted to the taste.

I feel his moan as well as hear it. From his chest all the way to his mouth vibrates, sending its reverberations throughout my body. It only serves to entice me more. I want to do that to him again and again.

His hand drops to my hip, pulling me flush with his body and eliciting a moan from within me as well. As the seconds pass, he grows bolder and I willingly follow. His own tongue asks for entrance and I allow him in. It's warm and insistent, smoothly stroking the inside of my mouth and making my knees weak. My body starts to sag from a combination of exhaustion and sensation overload, but I don't want to stop. I _couldn't_ stop now. Somehow, I think he knows. His other arm wraps around my waist, holding me up and supporting me - just like he always does.

Before long, even though I am being held up by strong arms, I feel myself falling in a way I've never experienced before. I feel as if I've flung myself headlong into something that I'll never escape from. But I don't care. I think that it has to be more than just the lust that's talking - though I do feel that too. I mean, who wouldn't feel that? Edward is all man - lean muscle and intoxicating charm. So when his hand begins kneading my hip - his fingertips occasionally brushing against the exposed skin of my belly - I can barely breathe.

It's been so long since a man has touched me. Sadly, I know how it feels when the person you're with isn't someone you picture yourself with in the long term. You make do with their company to keep from feeling lonely, hoping that it doesn't make you a terrible person. The sex is OK but not great. And I don't think I've ever had anything other than OK in my life.

But right now, I think I am putting more of my emotions - _more of_ _myself_ \- into this kiss than I think I gave to both of the men that I slept with during my pathetically small love life. And strangest of all, while I'm giving, I'm greedily taking whatever Edward is willing to give me in return. I want more and more - not willing to pause until I'm nearly panting and breathless.

During the lonely points in my life, I sometimes wondered what true passion felt like. I had often wished that I could be kissed as thoroughly as that nurse was kissed by the sailor in Times Square at the close of World War II. Something that takes over your mind, body, and soul. A kiss that you'll think about even when your hair fades to white and your skin is wrinkled.

I don't have to wonder any longer what it would feel like.

**00000000000000000000**

**A/N- Whoa. Aren't I just the cruelest person ever for cutting it off right there?**

**Oh, and remember when I said this fic would have a teensy bit of drama? Well, it's coming up next... Please don't kill me. My family depends on me to keep up with all our online accounts and passwords. They need me alive. **

**Thanks for reading! ;-)**


	6. Daily Double - The Book Of Revelations

**Chapter 6- Daily Double - The Book Of Revelations**

**00000000000000000000**

The air in the hotel room is cold, yet I feel nothing except the heat radiating from Edward's lips and roaming fingertips. His mouth consumes me, alternating between nipping and tugging at my bottom lip. By contrast, his fingers are in no mood to rush. They take their time in their exploration, driving me nearly insane with want.

One of his arms remains wrapped around my waist. The other is free to do what he wishes. With each part of my body he touches, my skin tingles with goosebumps and then bursts into flames - two opposing sensations which, prior to this moment, I had no idea was possible.

Pulling his hand away from my hip, it slides up my curves until it comes to rest against my face. Long fingers massage the back of my neck and stroke my long hair. His thumb brushes lightly across my cheekbone, the pad slightly rough but still soothing against my skin. Ordinarily, this would be considered an innocent gesture, something your mom might have once done when she was wishing you a good night. But it doesn't feel so innocent right now. It feels deliciously intimate, more like what a lover would do than a friend or family member.

Gradually, his fingers slide down to my chin and follow the curve of my neck until he reaches my breastbone. It lingers for a moment, as though he is unsure of where he wants to go. Instead of continuing down as I would like for him to, his masculine hand follows the path of my collar bone until it meets my shoulder. Here he halts the journey of my body to clasp my shoulder, massaging it and giving no indication that he will be moving any time soon. Impatient for more, I groan into his mouth to urge him on. I want to feel him everywhere. But still his hand remains frozen in place.

Realizing that he isn't picking up on my signals, I decide to take control. For once, I will ignore my usual instincts. Fear and anxiety have no place within me at this moment. Tonight, I will go after what I want.

I possessively ball my fist into his dark t-shirt, raising the fabric and exposing his midriff in the process. Although I can't bear to pull away from his lips just to look at my handiwork, my other hand takes advantage of this uncharted territory. It glides over his abdominals, the muscles twitching as my fingers pass over them. My fingers keep moving, briefly circling around his navel and then tickling the light patch of hair that lies directly below.

Edward's breathing picks up the farther my hand travels on its downward path, his warm panting breaths turning to a reverberating hum once my index finger makes contact with the elastic band of his cotton sleep pants.

And I don't stop. I can't. It's as if my fingers have developed a mind of their own. Over the fabric of his pants, they keep moving down, down, down until they inch their way to his hardened manhood. The instant my finger makes contact, he roughly inhales, the sound almost feral. My finger ghosts across the bulge, concentrating at the tip. I add a second finger. Then a third. Soon, it's my entire hand touching him there.

In a way, I can't believe that I have the courage to do any of this. During past intimate experiences, I was the person that wanted to move slowly. I would allow a brief kiss on the first date if I liked the guy, but nothing more. The same went for the second date. If I still liked him after a few weeks, then I would contemplate taking him to explore my bedroom.

But look at me now. Edward and I kiss once and I'm ready to tear his clothes off. I guess after months of doing nothing but suppress my urges, I now feel liberated. I'm finally living out the fantasy that has run through my mind countless times. He is in my grasp now. I am free to touch him as I once only dreamed I could do. And I am not planning to hold back any longer.

Without warning, his demanding lips relinquish their control of my mouth. The strong arm that was holding me up suddenly releases me, causing my backside to fall down to the mattress. I no longer feel his firm body pressed against me. The chill of the air conditioned room hits me all at once, obliterating the built-up heat from my body that he helped to create.

Puzzled by his abandonment, my eyes flutter open and search the room.

He is no longer on the bed with me. Edward is pacing back and forth by the far wall like a caged lion, one hand dragging through his chaotic mane of hair. A frown is etched on his face, an unusual expression for him to wear. But what is strangest of all are his eyes. They can barely focus on me for longer than a few seconds at a time before glancing away. And there's an odd look in them that I have never seen before. They are wide. Confused. Wild.

After several silent moments, Edward stops his frantic pacing and stands in place a few feet away from me. Appearing to force himself to maintain eye contact, his Adam's apple bobs up and down as he swallows. "We can't... I don't think-" he falteringly begins. Closing his eyelids, he rushes out, "This isn't right, Bella."

A lot of things happen in the next few seconds. First, I repeat what he says silently inside of my head.

_This isn't right._

Those three words say it all. Edward doesn't need to elaborate. Kissing me is wrong. Touching me is wrong. _Everything_. _Wrong_.

At this conclusion, my breath catches in my throat, choking me on his words. This is exactly what I had always feared would happen. I let go and allowed the passion that I have been harboring to get out of my control. And now I know that he does not feel the same as I do. He may have enjoyed messing around for a few minutes, but he couldn't stand taking it beyond that.

I took a risk, and I lost. I lost big time.

My heart turns to lead, the crushing weight of the dual feelings of rejection and humiliation bringing me down. I just threw myself at one of my best friends. And he doesn't want me back.

But, thankfully, the one thing that remains healthy and largely untouched by the trauma is my mind. It's impenetrable. Being rejected by the man whom I have had hidden feelings for can't affect my mental state. I have been through so much heartache in my life that my brain knows exactly what to do in order to save itself.

Shut down.

Shut out.

Retreat.

I crawl off the bed and zoom to the chest of drawers where my dress and other possessions lay. Next, I squint in the darkness and scan the room to find my shoes, eventually finding them hidden under a table.

"What are you doing?" asks Edward from behind me.

I don't want to talk to him. I don't want to look at him. All I want to do is escape. But if I don't answer, he might suspect that something is wrong with me. My plan is to never let him know how badly his words stung. He will never find out how much I want him. After tonight, I am shoving any inappropriate thought I may have into the darkest recess of my brain. There, it will gradually wither away into nothingness and we can go back to what we were before tonight happened. That is the only chance I have to save our friendship - if it's not irrevocably damaged already.

Clutching my things to my chest, I slowly turn to face him. "I think it's time for me to go," I respond, looking at his knees instead of his face. "I, um, think I'll just get dressed and go wait in the lobby."

"That's not necessary."

"Yes, it is."

"Why?"

Not able to resist any longer, I look up and stare into his eyes from across the room. "_Why_?" I incredulously repeat. "I'm sorry, Edward, but you were right. I shouldn't have gone after you like that. It was the wrong thing to do. And I don't think it's appropriate for me to stay here considering what I did."

He steps closer but I mimic his steps as I back away, keeping distance between us. "Bella, no. I didn't mean it like that," he says.

My head shakes back and forth, ignoring his statement. "It doesn't matter. Either way you look at it, we shouldn't have done any of that. It was a stupid thing to do."

Edward's eyebrows smash together. "I did _not_ say that," he replies, his voice rising.

"Well, _I_ am," I coldly retort.

As I stand here watching his nostrils flare irritably, I decide to take back everything. Every dumb decision I made tonight. Every kiss I gave. Every hungry touch. Every impossible fantasy I had the audacity to believe was coming true. Everything will be erased if I can make him believe what I want. As long as I leave him tonight with the belief that I was treating our interaction in the same way as I would a casual hookup, maybe everything will turn out all right in the end. That is the only way for me to salvage my dignity

"I've been lonely lately, and I guess I let my hormones get out of control tonight. I'm sorry," I emotionlessly claim. "I didn't mean to throw myself at you. You were the first warm, male body that I've been near in months, and I had a terrible lapse in judgement. It was a mistake and won't be happening again."

The angry set of his eyes slackens. He blinks several times but says nothing in response to my lies. We stare at one another, unmoving and unwilling to break the silence that has enveloped us.

A full minute later, a clear ringing tone chimes in his room.

As if reawakening from a spell, Edward slowly walks to the nightstand and picks up his cellphone. He takes one glance at the screen and heaves out a sigh. His eyes focus back on my face, and he mumbles, "It's Alice."

A surge of irrational fear strikes me like a lightning bolt.

I practically mauled Edward and possibly damaged our relationship forever. This is the same man whose sister wanted me to keep an eye out for him tonight. And what do I do the moment I have him alone? I throw out all common sense and attack him just because I have been attracted to him for a while.

At this moment, all I want to do is treat the incident as if it were a fire. I want to contain it, dose it with water, and extinguish the flames before anyone outside of this room can find out about what occurred. No one must ever know. Not even Alice. I want to pretend that it never happened. And I know that Edward probably wants it that way too.

"Don't tell Alice that I'm here," I say frantically.

"Why not?"

"I just-" I mumble uncertainly. "I don't want her to get the wrong idea, OK? If she knows I was alone with you, she would want to know what we did. Then she'll ask a million questions that I'm not comfortable talking about."

"Oh," he hums. "What should I say?"

"Anything. I don't care. Tell her...tell her whatever you need to get her off your back."

He nods with a couple of quick jerks of his head. Then, turning his back to me, he answers his phone. "Hello," he answers, his voice flat.

While he is on the phone, I rush to the bathroom and change out of the clothes Edward lent me, squeezing back into my dress. All the while, I try to keep an ear on the conversation going on in the other room.

"Calm down, Alice. She's fine. Bella realized that she didn't have her room key, so she decided to wait and have a drink at the hotel bar," Edward explains, sounding amazingly convincing. He pauses for several seconds. "Of course I asked her to wait in my room, but she didn't want to... Yes, I would have stayed with her at the bar, Alice, but she _wanted_ me to leave... Because she had company... Yes... I don't know who he was. It was just some guy." I hear him give a rough sigh. I can almost imagine him rolling his eyes at whatever she is asking him now. "I don't know that either... Sorry, but I didn't get that good of a look at the guy... I didn't because all she was doing was talking to him - not asking for his room number. Bella wouldn't leave the bar with some random guy she doesn't know."

Now fully dressed, I exit the bathroom and creep back into the main room. Edward has moved to stand by the gigantic window overlooking the ocean. The moonlight creates an aura effect around his body. It's beautiful. _He's_ beautiful. So much that it hurts.

"I'm sure she'll either call your room or show up on your doorstep soon. There's no need to worry," he assures her. A long, quiet moment goes by as he listens to her side of the conversation. Soon, his eyes widen fearfully. "No! Don't bother her. She'll come on her own once she's ready to leave... Well, I'm not worrying about Bella right now because she is a smart, tough woman. Additionally, she is in public and would call one of us if she needs our help... It's not _that_ late, Alice... Yes, she normally doesn't stay out past midnight, but this is her vacation. Maybe she's having a good time right now... Yes... Fine. I'll call you if I hear anything... OK... Bye."

He ends the call and tosses the phone down onto his rumbled bed. His eyes meet mine warily, as though he's worried about how I will react. "Alice thinks that you're at the hotel bar."

"I know," I answer, smoothing the wrinkles from the sides of my dress with my hands. "I heard it all. Thanks for covering for me."

Edward shrugs, briefly glancing away. "It's no problem."

I bend over and fasten my high heels back on my feet, the ribbon-like straps weaving around my ankles. Once safely secured, I walk to the mirror and run my fingers through the knots in my hair. It's still a little damp from my shower, but it's hard to tell unless you touch it.

When I turn around, Edward is still standing across the room, watching me with subdued eyes. His hands are shoved deeply into the pockets of his pajama pants, his posture slouched.

"Well, I better go before Alice calls the authorities to search for me," I feebly joke, backing away towards the door. Edward's lips twitch, appearing to want to smile, but they don't quite do it.

Turning from his handsome face, I walk away and unlatch the door. With the doorknob in my hand, I pause. I know that I should just leave and try to recover from my wounded pride. But I am still weak when it comes to Edward. So, I take a peek over my shoulder, unable to resist taking one last look. I see that he remains frozen in place by the window, as still as a marble statue in a museum.

"Edward?" I breathe out.

His back straightens from his slumped posture. "Yes?" he quickly replies, his gaze penetrating and gorgeous as always.

"Good night." Then I fling the door open and flee the room before I can shame myself further.

"Good night to you, too," I hear him mutter as the door clicks shut behind me.

**00000000000000000000**

I don't go directly to my hotel room after I escape. I decide to give myself a few minutes to calm down. So I wander the corridors until my mind is disjointed from my heart - the way it should have stayed in the first place. If I hadn't let a moment of weakness get the best of me, I wouldn't be currently worried that I just destroyed the only healthy male relationship of any sort that I have ever had.

I'm standing at our hotel room door around fifteen minutes after I left Edward's room. I lightly tap on the door as to not awaken any other hotel guest at this late hour. Alice answers in seconds, already dressed in her usual pajamas of a silky camisole and shorts. Her hazel eyes still look wide awake and gleaming, so I doubt she was sleeping.

She takes one look at me and immediately asks, "Where have you been?"

I pass around her and walk inside of our room, avoiding her watchful gaze. It's hard for me to lie, especially to Alice. I always feel guilty afterwards. "I forgot to take the room key with me tonight, so I bought a drink at the hotel bar. I figured that by the time I was ready to leave, that maybe you would be back."

"Hmm... That's what Edward told me, too, when I called a little while ago," she replies carefully, her mouth pinched. I sit on my bed and slowly remove my shoes while she continues to watch me. Once both are off, she adds, "He also told me that you met someone tonight."

Nervously, I lick at my dry lips. They're still sore from kissing Edward. But even worse, I can still taste him.

"Yeah. I did," I say softly.

Her face lights up like a Christmas tree. "That's great. Tell me all about it," she excitedly presses, bouncing on her toes.

My fingers rub at my heavy, tired eyes. I don't have it in me to lie any more tonight. Alice will see right though me. Maybe after some sleep, I'll have a decent chance to pull it off.

"I'm really sleepy," I claim, finally brave enough to look her in the eye. "Do you mind if I tell you in the morning?"

She gives an understanding smile and nods her head. "Sure. I'm exhausted too. And my feet are killing me! I think I danced for way too long."

Alice climbs into her bed and I go to change into a pair of comfy sweats and t-shirt. By the time I'm finished, she is already peacefully asleep. I envy her. As I lay in my own bed, rest eludes me. My brain refuses to settle down. It keeps taunting me with images I don't want to see. Inside of my mind, I keep watching myself pressing my mouth against a pair of full, firm lips over and over again.

I'm unsure how long I lay there like that. Hours most likely. But I do know that when I did eventually fall asleep, I did not get nearly enough.

A noise startles me awake. I shoot straight up in my bed and scan my surroundings. Bright sunlight streams through the window, nearly blinding me. I soon spot Alice sorting through her suitcase, clothes scattered across her side of the hotel room.

Her raven head pops up and catches me watching her. "Whoops! Sorry! I woke you up, didn't I?" she guiltily questions.

I take in a calming breath of air and slowly release it. "It's all right," I tell her. "Uh, what time is it?"

Alice bends over to grab her phone and swipes the screen open to read the time. "8:48."

It's later than I would have thought. It feels more like dawn than almost midmorning, but I guess that's because I got such a lousy night of sleep.

Quietly, I watch her as she goes back to her task, which seems to be folding and stuffing the dozens of shirts, skirts, dresses, pants, and whatnot back into her huge suitcase. She must not have packed it back as tightly as before because now her suitcase won't close. Like a mountain climber, Alice crawls on top of her gaping suitcase's mouth and sits down, bouncing on it in hopes of getting it to shut. While she's up there fussing with it, I notice that Alice is dressed to kill this morning. She's wearing a lilac sundress with a plunging neckline. A matching floppy sunhat hangs from a nearby chair. She looks beautiful.

"You going out?" I ask.

"Yep. Jasper called me a little while ago and asked if I would have breakfast with him. He wants to take me to some place that's supposed to have the best omelets in town. You wanna come?"

"Thanks, but I think I'll laze around here for a while longer. I'll get something later," I answer. I shove back my blanket and allow my feet to drop to the floor. Stretching my arms above my head, I say, "So tell me more about Jasper. He didn't say a whole lot last night, but he did seem nice. What's he really like?"

Alice stops struggling with the uncooperative suitcase and grins. Shimmying down, she lands on the floor like a cat and then skips over to sit next to me. "He's incredible," she sighs dreamily before ticking off a list of his personal qualities. "He's super sweet, loves Tex-Mex, hates the banjo, goes rock climbing in his spare time, and is mindbogglingly smart. He majors in history and wants to become a museum curator one day. Can you imagine working around so many important artifacts all of the time? It's so exciting! He'll be just like Indiana Jones - except with blonder hair and fewer Nazis!"

In spite of my depression, Alice manages to make me smile. "Indiana Jones was an archaeologist - not a museum curator," I remind her.

She heaves a sigh and rolls her eyes at me. "Geez. Don't ruin my fantasy, Bella. I'm planning on getting Jasper to wear a pair of khaki trousers, a brown leather jacket, and a fedora to prolong it."

"But didn't Indiana Jones have a new woman hanging from his arm in each film? Which one do _you_ plan to be in this fantasy of yours?" I tease.

She sweetly grins up at me. "_Alice_ _Cullen_, the very last woman - because that's the only one that matters in the end." She giggles at her joke and I laugh along with her. It feels good to be lighthearted for a change.

"So," she breezily transitions once the giggling subsides. "Now it's your turn. Tell me about last night."

My smiles quickly fades into oblivion.

"It's nothing much," I mutter, looking down at my lap. "I talked to a guy for a little while at the bar. He seemed all right."

"What did he look like?"

_Shit. I didn't think of that._

"Uh, dark hair. Five o'clock shadow. Nice eyes. Good physique." That's a pretty basic summary of a young Bradley Cooper. I doubt Alice can recognize him by that lame description.

"Was he cute?"

"Very."

"How tall was he?"

"Don't know. I left before I felt brave enough to drag out the tape measure."

"Ha ha, Bella," she says unamused. "What's his name?"

I say the first thing that pops into my head. "Umm... Bradley?" I reply hesitantly.

Alice barks out a couple of belly laughs. "Well, don't ask me if you're right. I wasn't there!"

"It's Bradley," I repeat more confidently, releasing a breath of air from my lungs. "It was just hard to remember. I guess I drank a little too much last night."

"That's OK. So where does this Bradley live?"

"Um. Coopersville." I could have answered that he lives in Hollywood, but that would probably tip her off.

"Where's that?"

_Fantasyland._

"I...don't remember."

"What does he do? Is he in college? Does he work?"

"Don't know," I reply, shrugging. I realize that denying knowledge is better than making things up. It saves time and doesn't require me to remember additional details.

Alice levels a frustrated glare at me. "Can you at least tell me if you're gonna see him again?" she whines.

"Probably not."

"How come?"

"He just wasn't my type," I answer evasively.

She leans back on her hands, her hazel eyes watching me somberly. "That's too bad. I had hoped that you would find a nice guy last night. I felt so sure it would happen for both of us."

"It's no big deal. I'll be all right." I give her a halfhearted smile as proof that I am telling her the truth - even though this is probably the biggest lie of all.

Alice cocks her head to the side, puckering her mouth slightly. Her eyes keep scanning me up and down, making me feel uncomfortable. "Do you mind if I ask one more thing?" she gently asks.

"Sure."

She suddenly leans forward, her eyes locked on my face. "Why didn't you just tell me that you were with Edward last night instead of making up that dumb story?"

My mouth falls wide open, gaping like a codfish. I stare at her in absolute shock. I thought that she bought it. Where did I go wrong?

"Alice, how did-?" I breathe out, unable to complete my sentence.

Her mouth curls into a Cheshire Cat smile. "First of all, my brother would _never_ leave you alone with some dude you just met at a bar without knowing absolutely everything there is to know about him. You saw how protective he was with me when I wanted to stay with Jasper. Edward met him - even spoke with him for a long time. Yet Edward still made Jasper show his ID and insisted to have his phone number. Now, if it had been _you_ that met a guy last night, I have no doubt that Edward would have forced the dude to give him a blood and urine sample along with everything else he usually demands," she wryly reveals. "And guess what? When I called him last night looking for you, he couldn't tell me anything about this man you supposedly met. Edward claimed not to have gotten a name, address, or anything. So I knew right away that something wasn't adding up."

She holds up a second finger and says with a knowing smile, "Next, you came in last night with the reddest pair of lips I have _ever_ seen! Did you really think I wouldn't notice that?" She doesn't give me time to respond before she continues on. "I waited to see if you would mention that you made out with 'Bradley from the bar' just in case I was wrong, but of course you didn't."

A large grin appears on her face and she chuckles amusedly. "And Bradley Cooper, Bella? Out of the thousands of names you could have used, you use the name of the guy from your favorite comedy? Though, I do see why your brain associated him with the bar. He was on _The_ _Hangover. _ People get a hangover at a bar... That's pretty funny now that I'm thinking about it."

Alice's smile slowly softens, her face appearing thoughtful. "After I realized that you and Edward were lying to me, all I had to do to solve this little mystery was accept that you never left him last night. But I still have one question - why? Why didn't you just tell me that you stayed with him instead of making all that up?"

My eyes clamp shut. It feels as if my fragile world, already riddled with cracks, is now crumbling before my very eyes. I didn't want Alice to know what I did. The more people who know, the further my humiliation grows.

"I'm sorry, Alice," I say sorrowfully. "I didn't want to lie, but I didn't see any way around it."

"Why?" she softly urges.

"Because I didn't want you to think the wrong thing."

Her head tilts to the side in one quick movement, much like what a bird does when it's trying to focus on something. "And what would I have thought?" she wonders curiously.

My hands fidget in my lap, on the brink of shaking. "I didn't want you to think that just because I was in his room, that he and I were messing around."

Her small eyebrows knit together, her eyes mulling over my words. "So...you and Edward lied because you didn't want me to think that you two were making out or anything. Is that what you're telling me?"

"Yes."

Her mouth twists as she stares me down. "Yet you two did, in fact, 'make out', didn't you?"

Squirming uncomfortably, I weakly nod my head.

Alice watches me for a moment, then says, "OK. So you kissed last night. What's the problem? You're adults. What did you think I was going to do? Throw a temper tantrum because you locked lips with each other?"

I shake my head. "No. Nothing like that."

"Then what's the deal?"

"I just...didn't want you to know because I'd rather not talk about it any more. I knew that you would ask questions and I would feel obliged to answer them. And I-" I sputter, my voice shaking. "I don't like thinking about it. I want to pretend that it never happened."

Her eyes widened in alarm. "Why? Did something bad happen?" My chin drops to my chest, feeling insecure and exposed. She must sense my reluctance because she adds, "I won't force you to tell me, Bella. It's up to you if you want to. But you might feel better if you do. Maybe I can help."

A humorless laugh escapes my throat, accompanied by a lone tear streaking down my cheek. "I doubt it."

She gives me a small, playful smile. "Are you saying that you _doubt_ me? You should know that whenever someone doubts my abilities that I take it as a personal challenge to prove them wrong."

The corner of my mouth lifts into a weak smile. "You're always so confident. I wish I was you."

A large, displeased frown overtakes Alice's face. "Why would you want that? I think Bella Swan is pretty awesome. Her only fault is that she hides her emotions sometimes. Maybe if she opens up, we can find a way to make everything better."

"But I messed up, Alice," I whisper, ashamed at myself.

She pats my hand consolingly. "And everyone does that, too. Tell me about it. You can call me Doctor Alice. Just so you know, I charge by the hour."

I snort a laugh and wipe the wetness from the side of my face. "Fine. I'll talk. But nothing I say leaves this room."

She does a quick nod. "Mum's the word. Got it," she agrees.

Reluctantly, I meet her kind eyes. She waits patiently for me to begin. "I was the one that kissed first," I admit.

Pleased that I seem to be forthcoming with information, she nods encouragingly. "All right. So what then?"

I swallow the lump in my throat and continue on. "And I thought he wanted it too. I really did. You know how guys look when they're excited?"

Alice knowingly nods her head. "Sure. Their eyes become all dark and lusty - like they've turned into a beast or something and they are preparing to attack. I _love_ it when that happens."

"Ordinarily, I do too. That's how Edward was looking at me - or so I thought. I kissed him and he seemed to go along with it at first. But after a while, he had second thoughts. He, um...he left me to run to the other side of the room."

Alice scowled, her forehead crinkled downwards. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he realized that he didn't want me in that way," I say sadly, my eyes darting away to escape from the embarrassment.

"If he didn't want that to happen, he wouldn't have kissed you until your lips were all red and swollen, Bella," she counters, her manner serious. "When you came in last night, it looked like you had made a trip down to the plastic surgeon's for lip injections. I can guarantee you that he wanted it then as much as you did."

"You're wrong," I say, shaking my head so hard that my hair flies in my face. "He told me that what we did wasn't right. He regrets it now. He could barely look at me afterwards."

Alice lapses into silence, her face a blank slate. Only her eyes reveal her emotions. They keep moving, never staying in one spot for longer than a second.

"I don't believe it," she eventually proclaims.

"_Believe_ _it_," I glumly repeat. "That's exactly what happened."

"No. You don't understand what I'm saying. I believe that you're telling me what _you_ think happened. But I'm pretty sure that you are misinterpreting the facts."

I smash my eyelids closed, too upset to look at her any more. I should have known that she would defend him. He's her brother. I guess it's bros before bffs.

"I am not," I huff irritably. "He told me that what we did was wrong. And he's right, I guess. We were friends and I stepped over that boundary. I knew that I shouldn't go over it, but I did it anyway. So now I have to wonder if I just messed everything up! Now I have to wonder if he'll try to forgive and forget everything, or if he'll keep me at arm's length forever!"

Another tear drips down my face while Alice tightens her grip on my hand. Her other hand grabs my chin and pivots it so that we are face to face, no longer allowing me to avoid her eyes.

"He won't stay away from you," she says, sounding annoyingly confident.

"You don't know that," I sniff. "You didn't see how he was acting last night."

"Maybe I didn't. I can't tell you why he acted that way, or what's going on in that brain of his either. But I _do_ know that he'll do whatever it takes to stay around you. "

"Really?" I mutter skeptically. "Why do you think that?"

"Bella," she hesitantly begins. She briefly pauses, seeming unsure at how to proceed. Tapping her finger against her chin, she looks back at me curiously. "How well do you know Edward?"

My forehead wrinkles in confusion. "Good. I mean... I know just about everything there is to know about him."

She puffs out a sigh and stares as though she feels sorry for me. "Do you?" she wonders aloud. "Since you know him so well, tell me why he left Northwestern U, Bella. Tell me why he transferred to Udub."

"Because he missed you, your parents, and the hundred or so other relatives that live in and around Seattle," I quickly reply, not seeing her point. "He was lonely."

"Nope," she says with finality, shaking her head.

"Yes it is! That's exactly what he said!" I nearly shout, frustrated by her attitude.

"Yeah. That's what _he_ said. But he was lying. He lied to _all_ of us."

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would he do that?"

"Because he's in love with you."

The room begins to spin all around me, only Alice's face remains motionless. It feels as if I am on a carnival ride, and I want to get off. I know what she said. I just don't believe it.

Slowly, my head moves back and forth. "No, Alice. He doesn't. I would know if he did."

She smiles but tries to hide it by twisting her mouth. "You and he may be close, but you two are the absolute _worst_ at reading between the lines. He moved back to Seattle for you."

"So, what? Are you saying that he told you all of that?" I ask doubtfully.

She waves her hand dismissively. "Of course not. His mouth is locked up more securely than Fort Knox. I figured all this out on my own."

"And that right there proves to me that you are imagining things. He hasn't told you anything," I reply, stubbornly crossing my arms across my breasts.

"He doesn't have to," she retorts. "I see how he looks at you. Heck, I've seen how _you_ look at him sometimes when you think no one is paying attention. Did you know that I can always tell when you're on the phone with him? Even when you're texting, I can tell. Your eyes sparkle. And a cute, little smile appears on your face."

My eyes enlarge in astonishment. Was I really so transparent? Was it _that_ easy for her to tell?

But I still don't believe her about Edward. He would have said something. He tells me everything.

"OK. Maybe you're right about me. But you're wrong about Edward. He doesn't love me. I've known him for years! Don't you think he would have said something by now?"

She arches a brow, challenging me and my opinion. "You have feelings for him too. Did you say anything before?"

My eyes flash with annoyance. "No. I didn't. But I sure as hell let him know last night. And look what _that_ got me."

"So something went wrong - I'll give you that " she admits. "But you should at least ask him for his side of the story before you assume anything."

"Maybe," I say, shrugging indifferently.

She continues to observe me, her head bobbing side to side. "You still don't believe me, do you?" she accuses.

"That's right," I readily admit.

"Bella!" she dramatically hisses, throwing up her hands. "He moved to Seattle and chose to rent an apartment in the same building as you. Doesn't that tell you anything?"

"You live there, too. Maybe he likes having his sister nearby."

"We're close, but not that close! He wanted to live across the country from me until he met you!" she exclaims. "Haven't you ever wondered why he doesn't date?"

"He dates," I retort.

"Yeah. Like, what? A handful of girls that didn't go beyond one date, and one lucky gal that had him for two whole weeks before he stopped seeing her. Whoopie," she scoffs, rolling her eyes. "But those dates do have one thing in common, and that's you. I think he was trying to distract himself. To keep from concentrating on you."

I can't help but laugh. "That's ridiculous."

"No it's not. Think about it. What were you doing during those times? I'll tell you what was going on - you were either casually dating or in a relationship during those times. And it's been, what? Five, six months since you last went out with a guy?" I nod my head, agreeing that what she said was correct. "Thought so... And, how many girls has Edward dated since then, Bella? Hmm?"

I try to temporarily ignore my skeptical instincts and my mind opens up, allowing me to think back on all those lonely months. And the answer stuns me.

"None," I whisper, blown away by the revelation.

"See? He only dates when he sees you with someone else. He didn't need to tell me in words how he feels about you. I've been monitoring him," Alice confesses, briefly studying her fingernails for imperfections in her nail polish. "Do you realize how crazy you two have been driving me? The constant flirting? The teasing? The longing looks from across the room? Ugh! It's been so frustrating! I've been waiting forever for you guys to finally do something about it, but you never do."

My head falls into my hand, rocking back and forth in disbelief. Then, my face pops back up once a new question enters my thoughts. "So why didn't you say anything before?"

"I didn't want to get involved. I don't like to meddle in other people's business," she replies, straightening her neck haughtily.

I can't believe what just came from her mouth. My friend doesn't say those things. She must be sick.

"Are you kidding me?!" I screech. "You told me what underwear I should put on last night for god's sake! Don't even try to act like you don't poke your nose into my life!"

"Yeah, I guess I do sometimes," she admits sheepishly. "But I usually try to stay out of the important stuff... Although, I do have a wee bit of a confession to make." Her fingers pinch together, showing me how small her confession will be amid the vast scheme of things.

"What?" I ask cautiously.

"I kinda got tired of you two beating around the bush, so I decided to jump start things between you guys."

"What did you do?"

"Well...remember when I told you that I saw you with a guy in my dreams, but I couldn't see his face?"

"Yeah," I drawl out slowly.

"That was a lie," she unashamedly admits. "I've been dreaming of you two together for, oh...a year and a half? Maybe two? It's hard to keep track. Any who, it's been a while. I figured that I was watching Fate work on you two, and that what I was seeing would come to fruition on its own. But you know how _that_ turned out. Nothing! So when I saw this new dream, I figured what the hell. Maybe Fate needs some help. Cause geez! You guys sure are slow! And not to mention blind. Even Rose and Emmett thought you guys were already a couple, and they just met you!"

My mouth turns down, offended at her assessment. "We're not blind."

She ignores me and continues on as if I didn't say anything. "Isn't it cool? I'm like, Fate's assistant! All I had to do was create an atmosphere of expectation of finding someone for you, dress you up like a femme fatale, leave you two alone with instructions to watch out for each others well-being, and bam! Magic happened!"

My eyebrows shoot up my forehead. "You planned all that?"

"Yup!" Alice proudly proclaims. "I especially liked the dress up part. I've studied you both, gauging your reactions when you first spot the other. I noticed that you stared at him more when he wears fitted suits. And I saw that he loves it when you wear dark blue. So when I found that dress you wore last night, I knew that I hit gold! And I was right. He couldn't stop looking at you. And when that bouncer put his hand on your shoulder! Wow! Edward looked ready to rip the guy's arm from its socket! That was hilarious!" she laughs heartily. "But that guy sure came in handy in the long run. A little jealousy can be a powerful and effective tool. That ensured that Edward wouldn't leave your side. And just think - I didn't even plan that! Fate chipped that in for free!"

I take a deep breath and try to think things through. There is so much that I thought I knew about Edward that turns out to be wrong. I had always taken his claims at face value. He moved to Seattle to be near his family. He doesn't date much because he is concentrating on getting his degree. It makes me wonder what else I have wrong.

"Thank you for telling me, Alice. But I'm not sure what I should do now that I know," I say, biting my lip.

"That's the easiest part!" she chirps cheerfully. "You start by talking to Edward. You guys solve your problems. You make up. Then, you do some more kissing. Anything you may want to do with him after that you can keep to yourself. He's still my brother, after all. I don't think I'm ready to hear about your sex capades."

"Yeah, I guess I should at least talk to him," I agree, nodding my head and overlooking her other insinuations.

"That's the spirit," she smiles, squeezing my hand.

My head jerks up, a thought suddenly occurring to me. "Oh my gosh, Alice! Jasper's waiting for you, and I'm holding you up! Go!"

She giggles a bubbling laugh. "Don't worry. I still have plenty of time. I told him to meet me at ten. I figured that would give us enough time to talk things out."

A smile spreads across my face. Even when she has a new guy in her life, she makes room for me. "You think of everything, don't you?"

"I try," she grandly concedes. She stands up from her sitting position on the bed and places her delicate but lovely sunhat on her head, adjusting it until it was perfect. Next, she crosses the room to retrieve her handbag and drops her phone and wallet inside. Slinging it over her shoulder, she returns to give me a parting hug. "Remember when I told you last night at the club to keep an open mind? Well, I'm going to reissue that advice. Think you can do that?"

"I'll do my best," I laugh.

"Good," she perkily accepts, straightening up. "Oh! And before I forget. Rose invited us all to have dinner tonight. I'll text you the details later. That sound OK?"

"Sure."

"Great! So...see ya later?"

"Yes. Now go! Get outta here! You're making Dr. Jones wait for his breakfast. He's probably starving," I joke.

Alice grins mischievously and slowly sashays towards the door. "Actually, his last name is Whitlock. He'll only be known as Dr. Indiana Jones during 'special times', " she calls out, waggling her perfectly arched eyebrows. Then, with a effervescent laugh, she opens the door and disappears.

**00000000000000000000**

**A/N- Some questions have answers. A couple remain unanswered. Let's go see what's up with Edward.**

**Thanks for reading. :-)**


	7. FINAL JEOPARDY - Four-Letter Words

**Chapter 7- FINAL JEOPARDY - Four-Letter Words**

**00000000000000000000**

After Alice leaves our hotel room, I rise from my bed and head to the bathroom. I grab my toothbrush and vigorously scrub my teeth, rushing through the process quickly. I'm anxious to get back to Edward as soon as I can. Although Alice opened my eyes to a few things, I still find it hard to believe that he could have feelings for me and never say a word about it. I have many questions, and Edward is the only person that can answer them.

I look at my reflection in the mirror and heave a sigh. I look pretty rough. The areas under my eyes have a blueish hue thanks to not getting much sleep during the night. All of the makeup that made me glamorous and beautiful last night is gone too. Now it's just me. Average, ordinary Bella. Part of me wants to slather the makeup back on before I face him. Then again, Edward deserves to see what he's signing up for if he does in fact for feelings for me. I'm not the kind of girl that fixes herself up all of the time. Gliding into his room with perfect skin and hair at this time in the morning might give him false expectations.

I slip out of my pajamas and pull on a plain t-shirt. Next, I shove my legs into my favorite pair of comfy black yoga pants that features a convenient side pocket, of which I shove my wallet and hotel key into. Lastly, I sweep my hair up into a pony tail, grab my phone, and fly out of the room.

Before I know it, I'm standing in front of his hotel room, my heart thumping through my chest. I'm nervous about what will happen once I knock. This could go in so many different directions. If Alice is wrong, Edward might look at me like I'm crazy. Or worse, he may laugh in my face for having the audacity of thinking that he could ever be in love with me.

Taking a large gulp of air, I rap at the door a couple of times. Around fifteen seconds later, the door creeps open a few inches and there he is. It's right after ten, but he's still dressed in his sleep pants and t-shirt from last night. That's unusual for him. Normally, he wakes up much earlier than this and dresses right away. His hair is unbrushed and ruffled, as though he has been yanking on it all night. But what's most disconcerting is his face. His lips are slightly turned down at the corners. And there are puffy bags under his eyes that make me think that he got less sleep than even I did.

"Can we talk?" I ask in a composed tone, trying to hide my concern. With a pensive look, he nods his head and opens the door wider. I pass around him and he clicks the door shut behind me. As I enter the room, the first thing I notice is that the sliding glass door is ajar, the salty sea breeze flowing into the room. One of the patio chairs outside is in a different position than it was last night. It leads me to think that he must have been sitting on his balcony before I knocked.

I glance around for a place to sit. Sitting on his bed after what happened last night is out of the question. After a quick scan of his room, I decide to take one of the chairs that circles a small table in the corner.

Edward stands across the room from me, his hands thrust into his pockets. His back leans against the wall, looking uncannily like a sleep deprived James Dean.

I decide to skip the pleasantries and go straight to the point. "Edward, why did you move back to Seattle?"

For a moment, he appears stunned. His face and body are completely frozen. However, that does not last for long. I watch as one of his hands drags down his face, his fingers briefly stopping to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"I should have known," he groans mysteriously into his hand.

Soon, the hand that covers his face drops limply by his side and his eyelids reopen, the green of his irises appearing duller than usual. Locking eyes with me, he says, "I take it that you spoke with Alice?"

All I do in response is move my head up and down.

He mirrors my head gesture, appearing contemplative. "I always assumed that she didn't know. I guess that was wishful thinking on my part. And so unbelievably stupid. I should have anticipated it. She always did manage to figure out what I was up to. Even when we were small..."

When he doesn't say anything more, I realize that I'm going to need to press him if I want a direct answer. "Edward? _Please_ tell me. I need to know."

He stalls for more time by leisurely crossing the room until reaches the huge, opened window. He stares off into the distance, appearing to watch a flock of seagulls soaring above the frothy waves. "What did Alice tell you?"

"She thinks you left Northwestern for me. Did you?"

Crossing his arms at his chest, he tries to avoid the question. "Does it matter?" he mutters bleakly.

"Of course it does. _You_ matter to me. That's why I need to know. So, is it true?"

Quite a bit of time goes by before he answers. Yet when he does, in spite of his low voice, the one word response is loud to my ears. "Yes."

I suck in a breath. Alice told me this already, however hearing it directly from him throws my brain into a whirl. I want to get to the bottom of everything, but it's difficult to think straight. "Why?" is all I can manage to get out.

Appearing reluctant, he tears his gaze away from the action outside and looks at me. "I couldn't stand being away from you any longer."

My tongue darts out to moisten the corner of my suddenly dry mouth. Taking a deep breath, I ask, "So when did...?"

"- Did I start feeling that way?" he finishes for me. After I nod my head in confirmation, he loosens his defensive posture and allows his arms to fall by his sides. "It didn't happen right off. Of course, I liked you a lot right from the beginning. I was comfortable when I was around you. You were smart. Funny. Easy to talk to. You felt like a friend even though we just met. And that isn't something that happens to me very often.

"The few times that I could fly back home to visit my parents and Alice, seeing you became the highlight of the trip. It came to be where I hated having to go back to Northwestern. I missed you too much. The only thing that made it better were the texts and phone calls from you. But eventually that wasn't enough to keep me happy. And seeing you once every couple of months wasn't enough either.

"I knew that if I really wanted to have a shot, the only chance I had was if I moved closer to you. So I came to the decision that I would transfer to UDub with you and Alice. That way, I could see you more often and let you know how I felt."

Once he quietens, I jump into the conversation. "But you never said a word. Why didn't you tell me any of this before?"

"Because I have terrible timing," he answers with a small, forced smile. "My plan was to tell you once I moved to Seattle. I had the misguided belief that it would be wrong to let you know how I felt over the phone when we were separated by two thousand miles. I wanted to tell you face-to-face." He pauses, and then briefly lowers his voice. "I wanted to transfer to UDub that spring, but my academic advisor urged me to wait until the end of the semester. He made a compelling argument, so I agreed... It turns out that it was the _worst_ decision I ever made. By the time I made the move back to Seattle, it was too late."

"What was too late? I don't understand."

"You started seeing Brady right before I moved. And saying that I love you while you were with him didn't seem to be the gentlemanly thing to do," he grumbles sarcastically with hardened eyes.

"_Brady_?" I repeat incredulously. "I only went out with him a few times. We weren't even boyfriend/girlfriend. We were more like acquaintances who hung out together occasionally. You _knew_ that. We were never serious."

Smashing his lips together, his forehead creases as he glares at me. "I wasn't going to be _that_ guy - the selfish asshole that tries to break up your relationship. My plan was to wait it out. Based on how the two of you were progressing, I figured that it wouldn't be long before it ended. _Then_ I was going tell you everything."

"So why didn't you?"

Edward's face darkens and his square jaw tightens. "Because _Jake_ happened," he emphasizes with flared nostrils.

I met Jake through Brady. They were good friends and I sometimes saw him whenever I hung out with Brady. After Brady and I called it quits, Jake called the very next day asking me out. Since he and I were never really romantically involved, Brady gave his blessings.

We dated casually for the first month, usually limiting our interactions to hanging out while with our friends once or twice a week. Over time, our casual dating turned into a four month long relationship. We agreed to remain monogamous. We agreed to have real dates sometimes without having our friends tag along. I wasn't in love. I was in like. Jake was fun to be around, but we were polar opposites in almost everything. He was a devout sports fan and could talk about the Sea Hawks for hours. As for me, I only have a passing interest in sports. He only read books when one of his college courses demanded it. I read all the time. He enjoyed partying and drinking himself into a coma. I don't.

Our relationship ended when Jake admitted to being jealous of the amount of time I hung out with Alice and Edward. It wasn't an unusual occurrence for him to ask me out of the blue to go have dinner with him and have me turn him down. I would let him know that I had already made plans to go out with the Cullens that evening. It must have annoyed him more than I ever knew. One night, Jake gave me an ultimatum - him or them. I broke it off with him right then. He may have been my boyfriend, but he wasn't worth the headache.

"By the time you broke up with Jake, I knew it was too late to say anything," Edward continues, gazing at the blue horizon out of the window. "I was in the friend zone. And I was too much of a coward to say anything and risk having you react negatively. I thought it would be best to keep my mouth shut and let you live your life the way you wanted."

Cold, hard reality punches me in the gut. Things are beginning to make sense now. It hurts to think that if I had never went out with Brady or Jake, Edward and I could have been something more than friends eons ago. And if I hadn't been a coward myself, I could have told him that I had feelings for him too. Everything that has gone wrong is _my_ fault.

Tears pool in my eyes as I picture what it must have been like for him. Nights of wondering how long the guy would be in my life. Times when Edward would have to fake a smile whenever he saw me with someone else. Feelings of jealousy and hatred for the guy that was currently in my life.

I know it must have felt that way to him because that's exactly how I used to react whenever Edward dated.

"God, Edward," I whimper. "I'm so sorry. If I had known-"

"Don't be sorry," he cuts in. "I just want you to be happy."

"Do you...still feel that way?"

"I never stopped."

"Then why did you practically run away last night when I was kissing you? And why did you tell me that what we were doing was wrong? I don't get it."

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head as though he can't believe that I don't already know. "I don't take advantage of women, Bella," he tsks.

"Huh? What are you talking about? You didn't take advantage of me. If you recall, _I_ was the one that made the first move."

"You may have been the one to move first, but that _does_ _not_ mean that you were in your right mind. Last night, you were upset and lonely. I intended to be there for you and give you what comfort I could. _That's it_. Please understand that I did not mean to let it go beyond a hug. But, I...was too weak. And for a moment I thought..."

"You thought what?"

He shakes his head and looks down at the floor. "_Nothing_," he barks abruptly, appearing to scowl at himself. "There really is no excuse for what I did. I ignored the fact that you were only seeking a way to escape from your pain and allowed myself to get caught up in the moment. It wasn't until you...touched me did I recall that what we were doing was wrong. I'm sorry for not stopping it sooner."

Rolling my eyes, I let out a sigh. I should have foreseen that this was the reason why he ran off last night. Most other men would have let me grope and maul them as long as I wasn't under the influence of anything. Edward has the strongest set of morals than anyone I have ever met. But now he seems to be living under the delusion that I wasn't in my right frame of mind last night.

"I was a consenting adult," I remind him. "You didn't force me to do anything that I didn't already want to do." Pausing momentarily, I decide to admit the mistake I made last night too. "I didn't realize that you stopped us from kissing for my sake. I thought you pushed me away because you regretted being with me. I thought that maybe you weren't attracted to me enough to be with me like that."

While slowly shaking his head back and forth, he stares at me as if he can't believe what I said. "That couldn't be farther from the truth. Do you realize how beautiful you looked last night?" He huffs out one, dry laugh while his mouth curves up at one corner. "And unfortunately for me, everyone else seemed to notice it, too. I spent half the night giving the guys at that damn club the evil eye just so that they would stay away from you. I knew that what I was doing was wrong, but I can't say that I regretted it. They looked at you like you were a notch to put on their bedpost. _None_ of them deserved you... Though they _did_ help me to see something that I should have accepted long ago: If I just sit around and continue to do nothing, someday you will meet someone that _does_ deserve you and I'll lose you forever. Spending the remainder of my life wondering what might have been isn't an ideal situation.

"So last night, I decided to have a talk with you once we got back home. I wanted to at least give it a chance and see what your reaction would be. I planned to lay it all out on the table. Admit to _everything_." His mouth droops slightly when he pauses. One hand slips through his ruffled hair, causing a tuft of it to stand up towards the back. "I suppose that's no longer necessary. You know everything now. And last night you let me know in no uncertain terms how you feel about me. I just...hope that none of what I have told you will affect our friendship. If you agree, we can go back to how it was before all of this mess happened. I promise that I won't bother you about it again."

My forehead scrunches down. I never told him how I felt last night. My lips moving on his may have hinted at my feelings, but I never _said_ anything. I'm on the verge of asking him what in the hell he's talking about, yet something stops me before I can utter a single word. Without any warning, what I _did_ say last night, back when I had wrongly assumed that he was rejecting my advances, comes back to haunt me.

_I've been lonely lately, and I guess I let my hormones get out of control tonight. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to throw myself at you. You were the first warm, male body that I've been near in months, and I had a terrible lapse in judgement. It was a mistake and won't be happening again._

I suck in a breath, horrified at myself. I said all those things to save my pride - unknowingly sacrificing Edward's feelings. I sounded callous and cold. _So_ _heartless_. I made it seem that he means nothing more to me than some cheap plaything - something to toss to the side once I'm finished with him. I hurt him badly. And I was too focused on my own wounded feelings and insecurities to realize it.

I swallow and nervously wring my hands. He does not yet understand that I have feelings for him as well. He has offered to forget what happened and overlook how I acted towards him. He's offering to go back to our former easy friendship and lighthearted teasing. And he would do it, too. He would go back to watching me date guys that he despises and never say a word against it.

I can't let him do that. And I can't live that way anymore.

"Edward, I don't want to go back to how things were before," I say in a faltering voice.

His eyes dim and lower themselves. "Oh," he says after a few seconds go by. He then turns his attention back towards the window and doesn't give me another glance. "I had hoped to remain friends at least," he trails off in a somber tone.

My eyes fly open wide, sickened that I didn't explain myself properly and that he took what I said in the wrong way. "No! I didn't mean-" I cry out in panic. Rising from my chair, I charge across the space that separates us. Then, summoning more strength than I ever knew I had, I twist his entire body away from the view outside.

Once I see that he is paying attention, I look at him directly in his eyes. "I lied last night, Edward," I begin bluntly. "I misunderstood the situation and thought that you were rejecting me because you didn't care for me in that way, so I tried to make it sound as though I didn't care either. But I _do_ care. _A lot_. Now don't get me wrong concerning what I'm about to say. I _like_ being friends with you. I always have. But, I don't really want to go back to the way we were before because I think that I want more now. I-uh...think I love you too."

Edward's eyes blink but his face is clear of all emotion. It's the classic shell-shocked look that you will find on a soldier's face in the middle of a battlefield. He stares me down for what feels like forever, making me more than just a little nervous.

"You lied?" he questions after around twenty seconds pass.

I bow my head for a few beats, feeling the shame ripple through me. "Yeah. I did."

He breathes out a heavy sigh and his brows furrow together. "You lied," he softly repeats in disbelief, slowly moving his head back and forth.

Guiltily, I nod my head to confirm it again. "I did. And I'm sorry. I'm _so_ sorry about everything. I've hurt you over and over again and I never even knew. It _kills_ _me_ to think that I hurt you so much. If I hadn't let fear rule me for so long, I would have told you how I felt years ago. But I never allowed myself to consider that you could feel the same way. I kept it locked up inside of me like an idiot just so I wouldn't risk losing you.

"I was so afraid of the unknown. Heck, I still am. You know me. I _hate_ surprises. I would much rather know what's going to happen before I place my neck on the chopping block. What if I had told you everything, but then you decided that I wasn't right for you considering who you are? You might have pushed me away and I would have lost you. Then, on the other hand, what if you _did_ agree to give us a try? We might not have lasted long and I would have lost you that way, too. You've seen my track record when it comes to relationships. The boyfriends I've had are like bread. They're OK for the first few days. Then, they turn all stale and moldy and I have to toss them out before they stink up my apartment."

His face breaks into a smile and he chuckles unexpectedly. Grabbing me by my shoulders, he lightly shakes me. "You lied!" he repeats in a tone that sounds more cheerful than it should.

I gape up at him, puzzled by his reaction. Under normal circumstances, lying is considered a bad thing. "Umm...yeah?" I reply, my eyes squinting uncertainly.

Lowering his posture to look at me at a level angle, he tones his elation down and turns more serious. "You love me?"

"I-I think so."

His smile turns dazzling, the white of his teeth exposed. Without another word, he pulls me into an embrace which almost knocks the breath out of me. One of his hands wraps around the nape of my neck and gently massages the skin there. It doesn't take long before I'm relaxing into him, enjoying the moment and soaking up everything about him. His scent. The sounds his lungs make when they inhale and exhale. The little movements he makes as he fingers with the end of my ponytail. It all feels so good. I could get used to this.

"I was beginning to think that this would never happen," he mumbles into my hair after a while.

"Me, too," I say, the side of my face still pressed into his chest. "I thought I blew my chance with you after what happened last night. I think we suffered from a severe lack of communication."

"Um-hmm," he agrees, the humming sound vibrating through his body. A minute or so later, he adds, "Bella? What did you mean earlier when you said that I may not have wanted to be with you 'considering who I am'? I didn't quite understand what you meant by that."

I straighten my head up and reluctantly look into his eyes, embarrassed that I have to explain what should be perfectly obvious. "You know. You're _Edward_ _Cullen_ of the _Cullen_ empire. Your family is well-known and prosperous. You're used to humongous mansions. Fancy cars. Designer clothes. You're set to run the company one day and do great things. Whereas I am Bella Swan, the lowly barista that works at a coffee shop and barely covers her share of the rent. We're not exactly equals on the social ladder."

"Since when have I ever cared about the 'social ladder'? Do you really believe that I give a damn about what some pug-faced, blue blood socialite thinks about me or how I live my life? If I want to be associated with you, that's _my_ concern - not theirs. And as for you, you don't give yourself nearly enough credit. You have a fantastic work ethic, you're responsible, and are sure to do incredible things in the future. I'm sure if we were to jot down everything we have ever accomplished, you would be declared the undisputed winner."

"But what about your parents? Wouldn't they expect for you to find someone more classy? Like a débutante or heiress?"

"Who do you think we are? Royalty that can only fraternize with nobility?" he scoffs. "First of all, would you like to know how my parents first met? Mom was a cashier at my dad's favorite convenience store, which he admits was his favorite only because she worked there. Class doesn't mean much to them. Secondly, they both love you. In fact, I suspect that Mom loves you more than me. Whenever we visit her now, she pushes me out of the kitchen just so she can talk to you alone."

"That's because she wants to gossip. Mostly about things that would probably disturb you. You should be thankful that she pushes you out the door."

"Like what? She tells you about how one of her fellow garden club members insists that she's a natural blonde - despite being seen having it dyed at the beauty parlor? Or how she discovered that the neighbor across the street uses paint to keep his lawn perfectly green?" he taunts with a smirk.

"Umm. Yeah. It's like that _sometimes_," I reply, hiding my smile. "Although, what she usually likes to talk about is sex. Specifically, sex with your father. Would you like for me to continue?"

Edward's nose wrinkles and he looks as if he is about to hurl. "No thank you. Now I see that ignorance _can be_ bliss," he grumbles.

"You asked," I remind him in a sing-song tone.

The disgusted expression on his face soon fades, becoming more musing than anything else. He stands there quietly- his mouth pursed out - and begins to study me.

"I think we should start over," he suggests after a short time.

I tilt my head and squint my eyes. "Hmm?"

"We've lived under misconceptions and general bad luck for a long time, and last night was the pinnacle. If we had handled things differently, maybe we could have saved ourselves a few headaches. I suggest that we start over."

"Start over from where?"

Excitedly, he wets his lips and his eyes sparkle. "From the very moment I opened the door for you this morning. No! Better yet, we'll go back to before everything was shot to hell last night. Are you OK with that?"

I shrug awkwardly, not sure where he is going with this. "I guess so."

"Good. Now, pretend that we're back on that bed and I'm looking into your eyes."

"If that's what you want, then why don't we climb back on the bed together and resume the position? It would be more accurate," I point out.

He takes a breath and holds it for a second, appearing unsure at how to proceed. "That isn't such a good idea," he hesitantly admits. "Having you back on my bed would be a distraction. I want to concentrate on the important things first before I contemplate manhandling you."

"Oh. OK," I say breathlessly. The idea that Edward is not immune to the effects of my femininity is still a new but thrilling thought. I can't wait to test it out more.

"Here's what we're going to do," he softly says, his eyes turning serious as they gaze into mine. "We're going to act like we're telling each other everything for the first time. From now on, we're going to be honest and straightforward. No more hiding things. Agreed?"

"Definitely."

"All right. I'll go first." Before he begins to speak, Edward slowly lifts his hand and rests his palm against my cheek. "_Bella_? I fell in love with you a long time ago. I began realizing that I was in trouble on that first Christmas Eve after we met. We were lounging around the living room and looking at my parents' tree. That Christmas tree was the tallest, most elaborate one they had ever set up. They really went all out that year. It was wrapped in thousands of lights and had enough ornaments to decorate three regular sized trees. You and I sat on the couch and talked until the grandfather clock hit 1 am. You had on a dark red pullover sweater, black sweatpants, and socks that had cartoon reindeer all over them. Your hair was twisted into a bun on the top of your head and strands of it kept coming loose. I kept thinking that you were the most exquisite thing I had ever seen. I thought for sure that you would catch me admiring you. Do you remember that night?"

"Yes," I whisper in a daze, barely able to blink.

"So you see, I've loved you for a very long time. Looking back, I should have done something about it right then. But hindsight is twenty-twenty, isn't it? I can't do anything about that mistake now except telling you over and over again that I love you. It's your choice of course, but I'd like it very much if you'd give us a chance. What do you say?"

"But what about what I said earlier?" I mumble worriedly, my canine tooth digging into my lip. "What if we do this and something goes wrong? What if we're great at being friends but absolutely suck at the relationship thing? Neither one of us has ever had much luck."

Instead of answering my questions, he asks one of his own. "How long did it take before you realized that you wanted to be more than friends?"

"I can't pinpoint it exactly. It was a gradual thing."

"Give me a rough estimate."

"It sounds stupid," I whine.

"I watched you waste months of your life with that asshole Jake and never spoke up because I didn't want to interfere with your love life. I'm not the one to judge stupidity, Bella," he deadpans.

"Fine," I huff, giving up the fight. "I thought you were nice and...attractive as soon as we met, but it wasn't until later that it grew to be more than just me thinking that you were a hot guy friend."

"Wait!" Edward interrupts, holding his finger in the air like he is on to something interesting. "You thought I was hot?" he asks with a cocky smirk.

I shoot him an annoyed glare. "Don't act all surprised. Girls grovel at your feet every day just with the hope that you will gift them with a smile. And they're _constantly_ molesting you with their eyes. It's not like I can exactly _blame_ the poor things. I'm no different from them," I mutter crossly.

"Yes you are," he says in a tender voice. "But you may continue with what you were saying."

I wrap my arms around my body and draw my lower lip between my teeth, avoiding his eyes. "We were in the middle of a round of Jeopardy. One of the contestants on the TV chose the daily double and it was your turn to take it since you answered the question before correctly. I don't remember how it went exactly, but basically it asked what Mary Ann Evans pen name was. You said George Eliot. Of course, you were right. I knew the answer because I study English Lit, yet I couldn't understand how you knew it, too. I already knew that you were smart, but...I don't think I understood just _how_ smart you were until then. Plus, you knowing book trivia was a huge turn on. It made you seem even more attractive and I wanted to pounce on you right then," I admit with heated cheeks.

"When was this?"

"When you came down to visit your family for a few days. It was on Valentine's day." I wince in embarrassment with what I am about to confess. "Is it pathetic to admit that it was the best Valentine's day I had ever had up to that point?"

I expect for him to laugh at the ridiculous way things began to change for me, but he never does. With half-lidded eyes, he peers down at me through his lashes. He stands so much taller than I do. I have to keep my face tilted upwards in order to keep eye contact. Being close to him like this makes me feel so tiny. And after my admittance, so much more vulnerable.

Yet Edward manages to take those insecure feelings and flip them around almost instantly. All he has to do is stroke the skin where my jaw meets my neck and I'm putty in his hands.

"No," he answers decisively. "It's not pathetic at all because I believe that this helps to prove my theory. If we weren't supposed to pursue something more together, the odds are that at least one of us would have lost interest months ago. It would be irresponsible of us if we were to ignore this fact and pretend that being friends is enough to satisfy us anymore."

"But what if we don't last?" I reply in a whisper.

"Then we'll return to being just friends. I told you last night that you're stuck with me. _Remember_? I'm going to stay in your life in some form or fashion no matter what, be it boyfriend or just your friend that happens to be a guy. Though, if I'm being honest, I don't think that's going to be a problem."

"How come?"

"Because I think that you must be my equal in everything. My soulmate - if you buy into that cliché. Out of the hundreds of people that I have meet over the course of my life, you are the only one that remains just as new and exciting as when I first met you. And, to top that off, you're the only one that has handed me my ass when we're competing against each other."

Unable to help myself, I proudly smirk. "Repeatedly, I might add."

A gorgeous, crooked smile materializes as he chuckles. "See? That right there is why I know we'll be OK. You're not afraid to knock me down a notch. It helps to keep me from getting a big head. And I keep wanting to come back for more."

Pressing my lips together, I glance at him sideways. "Hmm... I never pegged you as the type that likes to be humiliated. You're not into whips, handcuffs, and safe words, are you?"

"No. I'm into insanely brilliant women that test my mind everyday. However, I _can_ work with the handcuffs if you insist," he adds with a devilish grin.

I narrow my eyes at him with mock irritation. "You're such a guy," I say as though it's an insult. But it's really not. It's actually one of the things I like about him.

When he leans down until our noses almost brush against one other, I forget about everything. Our teasing banter. My insecurities. My doubts and fears. He's gazing into my eyes with a soft look that I've seen him give me before, yet I never understood before now what it meant. Now I know.

_Love_.

I'm experiencing the same feelings that I did last night. It's all there again. And it feels like the most normal thing in the world for me to be in love with this man.

The tip of his nose nuzzles mine fleetingly before it goes on to lightly graze my face. He moves downwards until he reaches my neck, causing me to instinctively stretch it out so that he can have better access. Here he pauses, and a sound akin to a growl is exhaled against my skin.

"I have the distinct urge to say something like, '_I'll show how much of a guy I am.' _ But, I'm going to hold off on doing that since we seem to be getting off topic," he replies in a smokey voice that makes my knees buckle.

I nod my head and try to remember that I still need to breathe. "Right. But what was the subject again? I can't remember," I pant.

The warm air from his mouth blows against my skin, driving me crazy. As though he thinks he has all the time in the world, his nose slowly moves around in a spiral pattern on the sensitive spot right below my ear. "You were worried that we wouldn't make it."

"Oh yeah. So...you think we'll be OK?"

"Without a doubt." Soft lips press themselves in the area where my earlobe and skin meet. The small pecks turn more open-mouthed as he places kisses from my ear all the way to the corner of my lip. Before he moves further, he stops to add, "_If_ everything that you said is true."

"It is," I gasp, painfully aware of how close his mouth is to mine.

Taking his time, he lightly skims his lips across my mouth, just enough where I can feel them but not enough to satisfy. Then he does it again. And again. Each time a little bit harder. It's unhurried and teasing. And perfect.

"Then we have nothing to worry about," he whispers into my lips.

The next thing I sense is that he's kissing me. _Really_ kissing me. It's the no-holding-back kind that makes me lightheaded. My fingers are digging themselves into his upper arms, holding on for dear life and griping so tightly that it seems like I'm trying to keep myself from floating away.

He pulls back a few inches, out of breath and his chest heaving. "We...can go slow," he says between labored breaths. "As slow as you need. You set the pace. I won't push."

I'm staring longingly at his mouth, desperate for more. But I know that I should put that desire on hold until I straighten something out first.

I force myself to concentrate on his eyes and shake my head. "No, Edward. I don't think that's necessary. We've _been_ going slow. It took two and a half years to get _here_. Glaciers have moved faster than we have."

"Good point. Then what do you suggest we do?"

"How about we just go with the flow?"

"The flow?" he repeats, arching his dark brow.

"Uh-huh. We just let things progress in whatever way it wants to. And I already know what I want to do first."

"And what's that?"

"_This_. Edward Cullen, will you go out with me sometime?"

His head tilts a few degrees and his mouth puckers slightly. "Although you're wounding my male pride by beating me to the punch, I will give you an unequivocal yes. You name the time and place."

"Hmm... How about as soon as you can get out of those pajamas and into something more appropriate for the public? There's this Ethiopian place down the street that I've been meaning to try."

"Wait. The one we passed by last night?"

"Yes."

He rubs his chin and stares at me with a puzzled expression. "But I thought you said that you would have to do research first? If I recall correctly, you were concerned about possible foodborne illnesses and strange foods that you wouldn't want to accidentally order."

"Starting now, I'm going to go with the flow on this too. Yeah, it's a potentially disastrous move, but a wise man once told me that taking risks sometimes makes life interesting." I smile at the end, wondering if he remembered telling me that very thing last night.

He remains mute for a few seconds, looking at me askance. Eventually, he asks, "Who are you and what have you done with Bella?"

I bring my hand up to his jaw and caress his face. It's a little rough since he hasn't shaved yet this morning, but it feels good against my palm. Lightly laughing, I smile and elaborate on the new philosophy I will try to live by. "Trust me, I'm still worried about _all_ of those things. But, today I will place my faith with both the chef at the restaurant and the Florida Health Department, and hope that we'll be OK. And if I _do_ accidentally order something weird like cricket casserole or boiled sheep eyeballs, I'll just steal food off of your plate. I'll try to leave you some too."

He chuckles at me with eyes crinkled at their corners. "Now that does sound like you," he teases.

Once the laughter fades, his mouth suddenly twists to the side and he looks at me suspiciously. "This will be our first date. You won't add me to your list of first dates gone wrong, will you? I don't want to walk into your coffee shop next week and have your coworkers giggle and mock me for not pulling off a flawless event."

"As long as you don't show me pictures of the girlfriend you're cheating on, or ask me if you can play with my toes under the table, you should be fine."

His disgusted look from earlier resurfaces. "What kind of lunatics did you date, Bella? I should have saved you a long time ago," he says with a sigh of annoyance.

"Agreed," I nod. It would also have saved me from the dude that tried to encourage me to bring another female friend on our date - specifically Alice. He said that he had never been with two girls at once before. I never told Edward about that one. He probably would have murdered the guy if I had.

Another thought strikes me now that I thought of Alice. "Oh. I forgot to mention that we have been invited to have dinner with Alice and her new friends tonight. And if I know her, we'll be eating at some swanky place that has an enforced dress code."

"Will you be my date then, too?"

"Umm." I pretend that I need time to think while I tap my finger against my chin. "I _guess_ I can do that."

"Wow," he replies with a lopsided smile. "Two dates with you in one day? This relationship thing is easier than I thought."

My arms wrap around the back of his neck and I smile back. "And luckily for you, we get to spend the entire day together, too. I was thinking that after lunch, we can head down to the beach and maybe you can see if you can teach me how to do something more advanced than the dog paddle."

His head snaps up and his eyes brighten. "Are you planning on wearing that bikini Alice bought for you?"

I snort out a laugh and nod in confirmation. "The one that has less fabric than a handkerchief? Unfortunately, yes."

"In that case, I'll agree," he says with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Don't get too excited. I'll be wearing a baggy t-shirt over it."

He unconcernedly shrugs, not bothered at all by what I just told him. "That doesn't matter. Once we're in the water, that t-shirt will be coming _off_."

My breathing accelerates and it's becoming progressively harder to swallow. He's giving me a look. _A predator's look_. I can tell that he isn't joking.

I clear my throat and stand taller, attempting to seem unaffected by his statement. "You sound confident. Maybe _too_ confident. How can you be so sure that I'll even agree to that?"

He pulls me towards him until we are eye to eye again. His mouth tempts me by its close proximity. Now that I know how perfect it is, I want it on me all of the time.

In a husky voice, he replies, "It's simple. Based on how your eyes dilated just now when I mentioned it and the way you've been licking your lips whenever I get close, I'm going to predict that _you_ _will_."

I can't deny it. He's right. Damn it.

**00000000000000000000**

**A/N- Well, that turned out all right, didn't it? But what's going to happen when Edward's psycho ex-girlfriend shows up to spoil everything? **

**Nah, I'm joking! There's just one chapter left and there will be no ex-girlfriends hell bent on revenge. However, there will be tons of fluff and so much gooey sweetness that it will clog your arteries. **

**Thanks for reading! :-)**


	8. Epilogue - The Returning Champions

**Epilogue - The Returning Champions**

**00000000000000000000**

_Around Three Years Later..._

"Congratulations on the win," he mumbles against the hollow of my throat.

I respond with a moan. That's all I can do. Edward's awfully good at kissing me while still conducting an intelligent conversation. As for me, not so much. I'm forced to communicate with grunts, groans, and sometimes, hand gestures. His mouth does crazy things to both my body and brain.

He nibbles my bottom lip, drawing a gasp out of me before he releases it. "The way you knew that the first chimpanzee sent into orbit was named Ham was mind-blowing. If you had been on the show, you would have definitely won on there, too."

"Mmm..."

I'm sitting on his lap in the middle of a hotel room in downtown Seattle. Alice and I checked in this morning. It's a rainy Saturday and Jeopardy doesn't normally come on TV today. But playing along with the contestants on the show has always relaxed us. And we need the relaxation today more than ever.

Alice has plans to do a complete makeover on me until she deems that I look perfect. Afterwards, Edward and I will be squeezed into formal wear and dragged to the event she has been organizing for the past six months. We insisted beforehand that we would need time today to unwind before all of that happens. At first, Alice complained that it would take valuable time away from my beauty regimen and put her hours behind schedule. Edward countered that if we didn't get that thirty minutes of Jeopardy time, we would forego the fancy outfits she helped pick out for us and we would instead show up in our regular clothes. Terrified that I really would wear skinny jeans and a raggedy sweatshirt to the formal event tonight, she gave in to our request.

My damp hair is wrapped in a white towel. For clothes, I am wearing a plain terry cloth robe. My toes have separators shoved in between them because Alice was giving me a pedicure right before Edward arrived. She had also wanted me to wear a clay mask on my face since she said my pores looked clogged today. I told her I didn't want him to confuse me with a hog coated in mud - it may give him second thoughts about furthering our relationship. She had to agree with me on that one.

When Edward showed up at my hotel door right after noon, Alice headed to the bathroom to organize her supplies and to give us privacy. He found an old episode of the gameshow on a streaming service and we played against one another like we always do. I snuggled into his lap and we watched it on his IPad, making out whenever we could until the credits played. The show is over now, but we have yet to inform Alice. Once she figures out that the show is over, she will be kicking him out again.

The last time we saw each other was last night when Alice pushed him out of the apartment she shares with Jasper. Though, to be fair, she pushed Jasper out too. She declared that in order to have a proper girls' night in, all people who identified as male had to go. Alice, Rose, and I then drank champagne and watched chick flicks until midnight. That's when she advised us that it was time to go to bed since we would be waking up early. The morning would be bringing tons for us to do.

At approximately 12:27, I tiptoed out of bed and headed back into the living room. My plan was to sneak back to Edward's apartment. _Our_ apartment now. My logic was that sleeping alone when I had a perfectly sexy but lonely partner three floors above me was insane.

I really did try to go asleep on my own, but my nerves were on edge. I knew that in a few hours my life would change forever again. I needed comfort. I needed Edward. I figured that he probably couldn't sleep either. He's accustomed to spooning with me until we fall asleep. I rationalized that he needed me, too.

So I stealthily crept towards Alice's front door, only a few steps away from freedom. My hand fell on the deadbolt and I slowly twisted it until it unlocked. That's when the living room lights flicked back on and I saw my female friends standing there with crossed arms and knowing smirks. Then Rose slapped a twenty into Alice's outstretched palm. Alice had made a bet that I wouldn't be able to stay away from Edward for the night. Rose lost.

Since our late night rendezvous failed, Edward's being especially attentive now. He hasn't stopped touching me since he stepped inside my hotel room a little more than a half an hour ago. I'm not complaining. We have a lot of catching up to do.

"You wiped the floor with me. _And_ doubled your score," he compliments, sucking on the tip of my earlobe.

My skin prickles with goosebumps. "Ahh!" I reply, my eyes rolling into the back of my head.

With my earlobe clenched in between his teeth, he playfully adds, "I'm _very_ impressed. I think I'll reward you now."

Seconds later, he tugs the sash of my robe until it opens, fully exposing my thin tank top and boy shorts. A spark ignites in his eyes as he examines what I have on and his expression smolders. It's the type of look that let's me know that I drive him crazy just as much as he does me.

His hands begin roaming around my body, moving from my waist up. Through the fabric of my shirt, a thumb brushes against my nipple and I involuntarily arch my back. His other hand fondles the back of my head and he presses his lips against my collarbone.

Although this feels fantastic, I'm well aware that his sister is in the bathroom twenty feet away. She could pop in at any moment, and I doubt she wants to see what Edward and I do for fun. Anymore "rewards" he wants to give me will need to happen later.

With an anguished groan, I push him away until he drops his hand from my breast and a few inches separate our faces. I drape my arms around his neck and give him a small smile. Now that his mouth is no longer attached to my body, my ability to speak magically returns.

"Considering how badly you were beaten today, you sure don't sound too disappointed that you lost. Most people would be at least a little upset," I point out. At the end of the game, I had $5000 while he was left with a humbling $1200.

His arm locks around my waist and pulls me until I bump into his chest, eliminating the few inches that separated us. "Why should I be upset? I have a lovely consolation prize to heal my ego." After that charming comment, he plants a kiss on my forehead. "I'll beat you next time," he adds in a cocky tone.

With my lips set into a mocking pout, I pat the side of his face condescendingly. "Aww. It's so _cute_ when you act confident," I sweetly retort. "You go on telling yourself that if it makes you feel better, honey."

His eyes me roguishly and his lips curl into a smirk. Without warning, his skillful fingers dig into my waist, setting me into a fit of giggles and squeals. His smile gradually disappears when I use my feet to push at the crook of the arm that is attacking me. This strategy helps me to move his hand a half an inch away from my skin and gives me a much needed break. But that doesn't stop him for long. Since neither of his hands are available to tickle me, he utilizes a much sneakier tactic to get back at me.

In one swift movement, he bends over, somehow nuzzles my shirt up with his nose a few inches, and then attaches his mouth to the exposed skin. He places seemingly innocent, wet kisses everywhere he can. But, since he was only moments before mercilessly tickling me, my body is still reacting as though it is under attack. My belly involuntarily sucks in an attempt to try to avoid him. However, once he swirls his tongue around my navel and blows a breath across the surface of my skin, I don't know if I should be shrieking in agony or moaning in ecstasy. So I do both.

The bathroom door creeks open and we instantly stop messing around. Edward pulls my shirt down to make me more presentable and buries his face into my neck, giving one more kiss there before Alice appears.

She walks out of the bathroom with a hand covering her eyes. Her other hand is waving around on front of her, presumably to keep from bumping into anything as she blindly maneuvers around the bed and furniture.

"Are you guys decent?" she asks nervously. "_Please_ tell me that all of your clothes are still on."

I turn my head just enough to wink at Edward. "Umm, give me a sec. I had better get my g-string back on before you reopen your eyes... You too, Edward."

She sucks in a breath and her hand falls from her eyes, her face contorted into a hilarious mixture of disgust and astonishment. Edward chuckles into my shoulder and hugs my waist tighter. He loves it when I torture his sister.

Alice's eyes turn into slits and her hands plant themselves onto her hips. "Real funny you two. I'm glad that you can joke around when there's so much work to be done."

Edward straightens up in his chair and snorts derisively. "Don't even pretend like you don't live for this stuff. If you could, you would throw a wedding every single day. You love the pressure. As for us, we prefer to take it easy and let the chips fall as they may. If we're five minutes late or the florist brings lilacs instead of lilies, so be it."

She gasps again, her mouth gaping open in horror. "How can you sound so complacent? This is your wedding you're talking about! Don't you want it to be perfect?"

He catches my eye and grins. "As long as the bride shows up, _it_ _will_ _be_." Then he's back to kissing me into a stupor.

I love his lips...

Tiny, high heeled feet stomp upon the hardwood floor. "Hey!" she shrilly yells in our ears. She shakes his shoulder in an attempt to break us apart. "Save that for later, Romeo!"

He pauses kissing me for split second and gives her a smug smile. "Don't worry. I have plenty of stamina," he smoothly replies before resuming his work on my lips.

I giggle. Alice groans.

"You promised me, Bella!" I hear her whine behind me. "You _promised_ that I could do whatever I need to do to make you look fabulous tonight. And I need to finish your nails and make-up soon or I won't have time to even dress myself later! _Please_!"

I break the seal his lips have on my mouth and gaze into his moss green eyes. "She's right. And I _did_ promise her that," I say with a forlorn sigh.

His brow ridge furrows at me, appearing puzzled. "Why would you ever agree to let her do whatever she wants on you? Do you have a death wish?" Even _he_ understands that giving Alice that much power is dangerous. She probably has multiple instruments of torture waiting for me in that bathroom. It's likely that there's devices that will rip out my leg hair by the root and tiny, spiked beauty tools that poke holes into your flesh with the supposed intention of encouraging collagen production.

Tensely, I bite down on my lip and glance down at the floor. My reasoning is going to sound very dumb...

"She said that she found a present that I would love and that she would give it to me if I cooperate without complaining," I reluctantly admit.

His forehead rises up and he stares at me with wide, skeptical eyes. "A present? From _her_? All she ever wants to give you is clothes. Since when has that ever tempted you?"

"It's not clothes," I counter with a small frown. "Well...at least I don't think it is. She said it has something to do with Jeopardy."

His head snaps up to glare at his sister. "Targeting her one weakness is low, Alice," he hisses with tight lips. "This _present_ you're to give her better be worth it. If it's just a coffee mug with the word _Jeopardy_ embossed on the front or something similar, you will pay dearly."

Folding her arms at her chest, she rolls her eyes at him. "When I say I have a fantastic present for Bella, I'm not referring to something _tacky_. Give me some credit, please. You have my word that it's not clothes, shoes, or handbags. I can _guarantee_ you that she will love what I got for her." She then grabs my hand and pulls me into a standing position. Once I am out of his reach, she adds, "Bella, you go sit on the stool in the bathroom. Edward, it's time for you to go. Antoine is going to be here any minute."

"Antoine?" he repeats suspicously, his eyes narrowed. "That sounds like a man's name."

She moves her hands in a slow, taunting clap. "Nice deductive skills, Sherlock. It sounds like a man's name because it _is_ a man's name. Antoine is the best hairstylist in Seattle. He can take even the frizziest mop of hair and turn it into a work of art. The second after you and Bella agreed to have the wedding on this day, I scheduled an appointment with him. He's going to make Bella's hair even more beautiful than it already is!"

Edward's mouth twists as he mulls over her explanation. "If he can be here, I don't understand why I can't stay for a little while longer."

"He can stay because he isn't the groom! _You_ are!" she snaps irritably. "You're lucky you saw her at all before the ceremony! Most guys don't. So quit the complaining and _leave_ before I call Jasper and Emmett to escort you out the door."

"_Fine_," he grumpily replies as he rises up from the chair. "I'll go. But at least let me give her a proper goodbye."

Alice agrees to his demand and steps back a few steps. I walk straight into his embrace and wrap my arms around his middle. He has on a black v neck shirt and jeans that look like they are glued to his body. They're my favorite. Whenever he wears them, my heat index rises. Those jeans are so tight that I could read a credit card in his front pocket. Out of his sister's eyesight, my hands squeeze his butt cheeks and he smothers me in a kiss that could last for days as far as I care. It's not long before Alice, Antoine, and the rest of the world are erased from my mind.

A tiny finger taps my shoulder a few times, puncturing my happy bubble. "_Bella_," a feminine voice chimes. "I think that's enough of a goodbye for now. You can let him go."

He kisses me harder. _And_ _growls_. Growling drives me crazy in the best possible way. If he growled any more than he already does, I would make sure that we would never leave our bed.

"Mmm hmmn muumnn," I intelligently reply. I had wanted to tell her "give me a few more minutes", but it came out as an incoherent jumble. My brain isn't currently coordinated enough to send the proper signals to my mouth.

"You made a deal, Bella!" Alice tartly reminds me. "And my gift is one of a kind. You don't want to miss it."

Dreams of owning a Jeopardy buzzer or maybe even Alex Trebek's old eye glasses dance through my thoughts. Edward's right. Alice does know my weakness.

I reluctantly step away, putting a couple of feet between us. "I'll see you later," I mumble sadly, my mouth puckered into a frown.

Before Edward can respond, Alice seizes the opportunity and begins pushing him towards the door. As he walks backwards, he looks at me and says in a serious tone, "If she starts going overboard and you can't take it anymore, _you call me_."

"I will," I nod.

"_Hey_! I'm not that bad!" Alice yelps as she shoves him out into the hallway. She grabs the doorknob but pauses before closing the door. "Say goodbye, Edward," she says with a sigh.

He locks eyes with me and I notice that they're smoldering again. His tongue deliberately glides over his top lip, torturing me and causing the temperature of the room to spike. "Bye, Bella," he purrs seductively. "I love you. I can't wait until later when I can whisk you away from your miniature bodyguard. In the meantime, I'll be thinking of you. I hope you rest up because what I'll be doing to you toni-"

"Goodbye, Edward," Alice curtly interrupts, shutting the door in his face. After she turns the lock, she whirls around and glances at me, her face in a grimace. Her hand rises and she pinches her fingers together. "He was _this_ close to giving me way more information than I needed to know. Come on. Let me brush your hair out before Antoine shows up."

I put myself into her hands and head into the hotel bathroom. As hours pass by and my hair is cut and highlighted, my face buffed and painted, and my body exfoliated and moisturized, I allow my mind to wander. So much had happened in the past three years.

After Edward and I confessed our feelings to one another, the transition from mere friends to lovers was remarkably simple. In a way, he never stopped being my friend. A lot of the things that we did before that fateful trip are things that we still do. We tease each other. We watch TV and read together. We hang out with Alice and our other friends down at the sports bar on Friday nights. The main differences between back before the trip and now is that we have added kissing, cuddling, and sex to our routine. And I think that those three things helped our friendship more than hurt it.

I used to think that he knew everything there is to know about me and vice versa. But I was wrong. _Now_ we do. Some of the most interesting things that we now know about each other would have been left undiscovered forever if we had never went beyond being friends. And I can unhesitatingly state that it would have been a travesty if I had never known that he prefers to shower with a friend (me) in the mornings. And I'm sure he would have been equally devastated if he had never discovered what happens when I eat Thai food for dinner. There's something about eating that spicy food that causes me to wake up at night in the midst of pulling off his clothes. We eat Thai a lot now.

Since graduating college, we both have real jobs but always make time for one other. Jeopardy is still our game of choice. Every evening after work, we go to battle. We tease. We taunt. We make out. It's something that brings both of us much joy.

During the day, Edward works under his father at Cullen Enterprises, learning the ropes of how to run the company once Carlisle retires. His dad seems very excited at the prospect of being able to whisk Esme away on a trip around the world at a moments notice. They insist that the next stage of their life will be like an extended second honeymoon. I think it's adorable. As for their children, Edward and Alice's faces turn a funny shade of green whenever Esme talks about the private island her husband bought for her. Supposedly, if you own the island, no swimsuit is required on the beach. I love encouraging her to talk about it whenever her children are in the room.

I was hired at a company that publishes textbooks for schools and universities. My job was proofreader, which basically means I was an error checker. I would read a textbook draft and search for spelling and grammar mistakes. It was pretty easy to do and paid decently for an entry position. But I hated it. It was boring and offered no challenge.

After a year of working there, the Cullens offered me a solution. Carlisle badgered me for weeks, telling me how his company needed to be brought into the twenty-first century and that they desperately needed me to start a new social media department for the company. He explained that I would create buzz on Twitter, Facebook, and the like by posting pictures and information concerning the company's many medical related products, find influencers willing to advertise the products on their platforms, and work with the advertising agency to create relevant ads on websites that would intertwine with what I was doing on social media.

I turned him down many, many times.

I insisted that I wasn't experienced enough to handle such a big responsibility. I told him that it would be inappropriate for me to work for my boyfriend's family business. I told him that I wasn't smart or trendy enough to be able to keep up with the changing tide of the internet.

Fortunately for Carlisle, the Cullen charm isn't limited to merely his children. Every reason I gave why I shouldn't accept the job, he had a reason why I should. He eventually wore me down and I became the Social Media Director of Cullen Enterprises. It's a demanding but interesting job. I never have a slow day. I'm either working with the graphics department to create an eye-catching picture to upload to showcase a product, or reading and replying to the comments people leave on our posts. I've always suspected that Edward was the one that convinced his father to hire me, but he strongly denies it. I don't mind anymore if he did. I love the job too much to complain about how I landed it.

As for Alice, she works for herself. Although she sometimes creates her own clothes, she discovered that she prefers to work with other people's designs more. She took her portion of her inheritance that she received when she turned twenty-one and opened her own clothing boutique here in Seattle. And through the power of persuasion, she convinced Rose to go into business with her.

They work great together. While Alice designs the store layout and deals with most of the customers, Rose handles the finances and intimidates warehouse managers over the phone that don't send promised shipments on time. As a bonus for having Rose as her business partner, Alice found that customers respond to her too. Whenever a customer looks doubtfully at a suggested outfit, Alice summons Rose to model it. The customer almost always changes their mind. Rose's flawless face and curvy body would make even the rags that Cinderella wore look stylish.

Jasper moved to Seattle right after he obtained his bachelor's degree. He's working on his master's degree now. He initially moved into a rental house with the newly married Rose and Emmett. Alice was ecstatic to have him close by after going through a long distance relationship for more than a year. Jasper's presence also helped when I announced that I was moving in with Edward. While Alice was truly happy for us, she also cried. A lot. She had become used to having me in the apartment with her and wasn't sure how she would cope living alone. I reminded her that I would still see her every day and that we were literally a ten second elevator ride away from each other. She weakly smiled, nodded her head, and then burst into tears again. It wasn't until Edward put out the idea that Jasper could move out of the McCarthy household and into Alice's apartment did the tears dry up.

They're supposed to marry next year. Alice insists that the ceremony will be held at Club Eclipse, even if it means renting the entire building for the day. I've told her many times that she could have a nice wedding here in Seattle instead of flying all the way to Florida. She always scoffs and says that the wedding she wants to have with her dream man needs to be conducted at the exact place where she met this dream man. Once she gets an idea into her head, it's almost impossible to shake it out.

As for the prophetic dream she once had, she won't tell me if she has had any more since then. It makes me curious if she has had any about me. Whenever I ask, she dodges the question by saying that as long as I'm happy, what she sees in a dream shouldn't matter. I guess she has a point.

At five o'clock, I'm standing behind a door and waiting for my signal. Alice wears a periwinkle blue bridesmaid's dress that she picked out and I OK'd. I'm wearing a simple but tight, white gown that flows down to my calves. Thanks to the design and a secret contraption hidden underneath the fabric, the dress gives me the illusion of having bigger breasts than I really do. It makes me think I should wear it all the time.

Before I know it, the violinist Alice hired begins the Wedding March and I start walking. No one is here to support me as I walk down the aisle. I have no one to give me away. I walk alone. Carlisle offered to do it, but I politely declined. When I lost my mother, I was alone - just like now. The next stage of my life did not begin until after I found the Cullens. First their children and then the parents welcomed me into their clan. I felt that this brief walk down the aisle would be somewhat symbolic. After today, I will leave behind that lonely existence and become a Cullen officially. Wherever Mom is, I'm sure she couldn't be happier for me.

The first thing I notice when I step into the room is a sea of faces. Some I don't recognize. Edward has invited old high school friends he hasn't seen in years, coworkers, and a dozen or so distant relatives that are scattered around the United States. Some faces I do recognize, like Emmett holding Rose with one arm and their toddler in his other. Liam has his father's curls and his mother's blonde hair. He's the cutest little boy I've ever seen. Alice wanted him to be the ring bearer today but he is still in the I-want-to-put-everything-into-my-mouth phase. Rose told her that unless she wants the wedding rings to pass through a baby's digestive tract, she should just take a pass on that one.

It doesn't take long for me to spot Edward waiting at the end of the aisle. He's as devastatingly handsome as always, dressed in a black tuxedo with his arms behind his back. But it's his smile that leaves me breathless. It's broad and joyful, making his elation unmistakable. And there at one corner of his mouth, it's tilted up slightly more than the other. This gives him a rakish air that hints at the thoughts racing through his mind.

I can't take my eyes away from his face. The beautiful, twinkling lanterns hanging overhead and hundreds of white lilies decorating the room can't hold a candle to him.

Walking towards him like this makes me wish that I could kick my former self. I was afraid of _this_? Sure, things could have gone wrong and Edward and I may have not made it. Although in this case, we beat the odds. It was a risk that has paid off. But I've had time to think things over since we got together. And on my own I have accepted that life is riddled with risks and dangers the moment you exit the womb. Setting up walls to insulate yourself only serves to keep the good things from getting through as well as the bad. And Edward is a definite good thing. I was crazy to ever think that friendship would be enough.

Before I know it, I'm grasping his hand and Alice takes my bridal bouquet away. His smile turns into a grin and he winks in that playful way that makes my heart race.

"Are you both, this day and before all present, ready to accept each other in marriage?" says a familiar voice nearby.

Edward and I in unison answer that we are.

With supreme reluctance, I tear my attention away from my groom and look in the direction from which the voice came from. I'm expecting to see the balding man with wireframe glasses that Alice hired to officiate the ceremony. But that is not who I see.

Instead, a man that I have seen nearly every day since I turned ten years old stands there. His hair is much whiter than it once was. His face is as kind now as it looks on TV. His eyes sparkle amusedly while I stare at him openmouthed.

I think I found the present Alice got for me.

Somehow, she brought me Alex Trebek.

My head snaps up to stare at Edward, my eyes wide and frozen open. He's grinning down at me and his body shakes with restrained laughter. He evidently thinks my reaction is hilarious. I can't say that I can blame him.

"Did you know?" I whisper under my breath.

"No," he smiles, barely moving his lips.

I glance back at Alex. He's smiling at the two of us and takes a step forward. Lowering his voice, he says, "I know that this is a surprise for you and you're a bit confused. But, if you aren't comfortable having me officiate, I can step aside and let a professional take over. I'll understand."

"No!" I yelp so loud that it echoes throughout the room. More than half of our guests laugh at me. On a normal day, I would be embarrassed. But this isn't a normal day.

He laughs along with the guests and resumes standing a couple of feet away. Quickly, I look over my shoulder at Alice. She's wearing a smug smile, her nose tilted haughtily in the air. Having Edward doubt her earlier and now seeing my positive reaction is a confidence booster for her.

I smile back. She may be annoying sometimes but she definitely devotes everything she has into making her family and friends happy. "I love you," I mouth to her. She giggles a bubbly laugh in response.

Wedding Officiant Alex does what nearly every Wedding Officiant does. He begins a speech focusing on Edward and me as if he knows us, which secretly thrills me. He reminds us that marriage is made up of highs and lows, which scares me. Then he says that a strong marriage is one in which the partners are bonded in both friendship and love, which helps me breathe again.

Once the speech is done, Alex directs his full attention on me. He suddenly appears dead serious and I'm feeling nervous as well as starstruck. "'_Bella Swan, do you take Edward Cullen as your partner for life, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, for as long as you both shall live_?' is a question that should be answered in _this_ way if you accept the responsibility of the marriage vow."

I stare at Alex with bewildered, blinking eyes. He's staring back at me expectantly. What a weird way to say the vows...

"Uh. I do?" I answer with a scrunched face.

Wagging his finger as though I am being naughty, Alex smiles and says, "Excuse me, but it needs to be in the form of a question."

Edward's laughter is the loudest in the room. I flash a scowl at him and he shuts up instantly. He'll pay for that later...

Once the noise of the room dies down, I focus my energies back on the task at hand. "Sorry. Umm. _What is I do?_" I correct.

Edward answers his vow without a hitch, and it isn't long before rings have been exchanged and Alex is informing him that he can kiss the bride. Edward seems to think that this is the most important part of the ceremony. Instead of giving me a sweet peck on the lips, he goes all out. He grabs me by the waist, tips me over until my back is parallel to the floor, and proceeds to kiss me with a fervor that can be described as borderline obscene. People hoot and holler as though they think that they are at a peep show. I can hear Emmett yelling "get a room!" amid the noise.

By the time Edward is done, my legs can no longer support my body. Since he is the cause of my current condition, he has to walk me to the reception room with his arms holding me up. Being kissed into a haze in front of hundreds of people should make me feel embarrassed. But I am not. I would let him do it again if I could.

At the reception, toasts to our future are given, dinner is eaten, and music is played. After our first dance, we sit back down and our guests twirl and shake in front of the band that was hired. While they're having a good time, I keep track of what Alex is doing and tap Edward's shoulder whenever I see something interesting. Which is often.

"Look! He chose the salmon instead of the steak! I wonder if he's on a diet?"

"Aww! Your mom just made Alex laugh. Ooh! And he's _looking_ at you! I bet she's telling him one of those stories about when you were little..."

"Wow! Alex is tapping his foot under his table. He must like this song... Edward, why isn't he dancing like everyone else is? Do you think he wants to dance but is too nervous to ask someone? Or maybe he asked and the person turned him down. Oh my god, Edward! Now he thinks that no one wants to dance with him! He's probably having a _terrible_ time and can't wait to get out of here! What are we gonna do?!"

Edward rubs his hand down his face and sighs. "You're worrying over nothing. He's probably too tired to dance right now."

"But look how sad he looks! There's got to be more to this than just that."

"Approximately two minutes ago, you told me that he was smiling when Aunt Julia asked for his autograph," Edward reminds me. "I doubt he has gone downhill _that_ quickly."

Playing with the material of my dress, I glance at my brand new husband. "He's probably a good actor. I mean, look at him right now. No smile in sight, hmm? All he's doing is sipping his drink and looking bored out of his mind! Maybe I should go ask him if he'd like to dance with me."

Edward grabs my hand before I can back my chair out and starts distributing kisses on the inside of my wrist. "He's fine, Bella," he mumbles into my skin.

"How do you know?"

His lips curve into a smile and he folds both of his hands around my own. "I can read minds. Have you forgotten? Perhaps I should read his and tell you exactly what he's thinking," he jokes playfully.

He is referring to his ongoing habit of pretending to hear the thoughts of strangers just to make me laugh. I admit that it's usually funny the things he makes up, but he can't do that in this case.

"Don't you _dare_ do that!" I hiss under my breath. "Alex Trebek is off limits. You can't poke fun at living legends! Besides, what is there to make a joke out of? That he's smart and interesting? That he's witty, handsome, and one of the most successful gameshow hosts of all time?"

Edward's smile vanishes and is replaced by a small frown. "You think he's handsome?"

I peek back at the man in question for a moment. "Of course I do. Just look at him. He's one of the best looking senior citizens out there."

"He isn't _that_ good looking," Edward grumbles, his brows smashed tightly together.

I stare at him for a short while, wondering what his problem is. Then it hits me.

"Oh my-!" I giggle, covering my mouth with my free hand. "Do you feel threatened by _Alex Trebek_?!"

"No," he mutters grumpily, knitting his eyebrows further.

"You are! You don't like that I think he's a smart, handsome, _wonderful_ person."

Edward's mouth twists as though he just ate something rotten. "So now he's wonderful, too?" he asks pointedly.

"I _knew_ it!" I snort, laughing at the absurdity. "I can't believe you. Are you seriously jealous of him?"

His mouth thins while he busies himself by playing with my fingers. "I am not jealous. I've just never heard you go on and on about anyone like this before."

Yep. He's jealous.

I peer into Edward's eyes, arching my eyebrows. "And I've never seen _you_ look so upset just because I said that someone else besides you is nice looking and smart. You didn't care the other day when Alice and I were talking about how handsome Robert Pattinson was in his new movie."

Edward cocks his head to the side, observing me for a few moments before he forms a reply. "For one, Robert Pattinson wasn't in the same room with you two when you were discussing him. And for two, you've been staring at Mr. Trebek nonstop for the past hour and gave me a play-by-play of everything he has done since you met the man. So I would say that t_his_ is very different."

Edward has managed to make me sound like an obsessed, twenty-something year old fan girl that likes to stare creepily at an elderly man. And sadly, he is right.

Raising my free hand, I play with the hair right above his ear. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," I murmur in a gentler tone. "But the reason that I've been staring is because that's my idol over there. I've watched him on TV for forever and never imagined ever meeting him. Did you know that he is the closest thing I had to a father figure growing up?"

"No. I didn't," he exhales.

"See? That's all there is to it. I'm just super stoked about all of this. I mean...do you realize what happened today? We had Alex freakin' Trebek marry us!" I yelp, shaking him by his shoulders.

He chuckles a few times and plants another kiss to my wrist. "I know. I'm happy that you liked it so much. And I'll try to lay off the insecurities for the rest of the night. If you want, go dance with him. Just...promise me you won't ask him to sign your cleavage like Aunt Julia did. _Please_."

I place my hand behind his head and pull him in for a brief kiss. "I promise. But I guess I'll have to wait to dance with him later. Somebody else beat me to it."

Edward's eyes dart around until he spots Great Grandma Cullen pulling Alex out onto the dance area. She looks fantastic in her lacy yet demure Sunday dress and sneakers. She smiles politely at Alex, turns around, and does something I never would have expected.

"Wow," I say with raised eyebrows. "Who knew that a ninety year old could twerk?"

"You can thank her yoga classes for that," Edward announces with a smirk. "She's the only person her age that I know of that does handstands and splits while her friends move around with walkers."

It doesn't take long before he's hauling me out there too. The song being played is nice and slow - my favorite kind. I lay my head on his shoulder and sway with him to the music.

"Bella?" he says after a while.

"Hmm?" I hum with eyes closed.

"Remember that story you once told me about your junior prom?"

Like I could ever forget that. Exposing my nether regions to the entire school is something that will unfortunately live with me forever. I'm sure there are heaps of people that only know me by _Bella_ _Thong_ thanks to that night. However, despite that traumatic experience, I've come to enjoy dancing with Edward. He holds me too close for me to ever worry about falling or accidentally mooning our guests.

I tilt my head up a few degrees in order to see him properly. "Yeah. What about it?" I wonder aloud.

"Well, I'm curious," he begins, his mouth slightly pursed. "If you were to fall right now in that same manner, what would your new nickname be?"

One of my eyes squint as I decide what I should say. I could be coy and make him wait to see for himself later. But what's the fun in that?

Standing on my toes, I place my mouth by his ear to ensure that he is the only one that can hear. "Bella '_Corset' _Cullen," I rasp seductively.

Backing up, I watch his eyes glaze over. The grip on my waist tightens, and he begins moving us away from the dance area before I can detect what he's doing.

"What are you doing?" I question suspiciously.

"Getting us out of here. I want to see what you're wearing. _Right_ _now_."

Leave it to Edward to think that he can literally _waltz_ us out of our own wedding reception...

With wide eyes, I yelp, "We can't just leave! People will notice that the bride and groom have disappeared."

He shakes his head back in forth, the picture of confidence. "No they won't. I have two words for you - open bar. No one will notice that we're missing."

He expertly maneuvers us through crowds of well wishers, scrambling wait staff, and semi-drunken relatives until we are only a short few feet away from the exit. We stop pretending that we're dancing and revert to holding hands. He leads us to the door but has to halt right before he can reach the doorknob.

A long-haired man blocks our exit, his body almost surpassing the width of the door. He stands several inches taller than Edward. I would probably be worried about what he's up to if it wasn't for the fact that his smile appears too pleasant to be untrustworthy.

"Excuse me, but I would like to use the door, please," Edward announces politely, still holding my hand.

The burley man holds a large plate in his paws, shoveling food into his mouth and he grins wider. "Oh, right. Sorry, man!" The guy thrusts out a hand and Edward reluctantly shakes it. "I'm Seth. You must be Edward and Bella." Seth stuffs a crab cake into his face, chews exactly three times, and swallows. "Whoa! This food is awesome. I haven't eaten this good in ages."

"Yes. We're thrilled that you're enjoying yourself," Edward deadpans, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "But, as you can see, my wife and I need to use the door. So if you would move to the side, please?"

"No can do, bro," Seth replies with a sheepish shrug. "I'm under orders to guard this door."

Edward's eyes harden and he glares at the stranger. "That's ridiculous. As you can see, we are the bride and groom, and _we_ did not hire _anyone_ to guard this door," he growls.

Seth nods his head and pops another crab cake into his mouth. "I know, right? I've never watched a door all night before. But the ad said that I'd get two hundred bucks as long as I make sure that you two can't sneak out. Oh! Congrats on the marriage, by the way. I almost forgot to tell you guys that."

An ad?

Edward and I stare at one another for several beats. Then, slowly we turn around in almost perfect synchronization until we find the person we are searching for.

Alice stands across the room, amusedly watching us. She raises her wine glass in the air with a satisfied smile. She then tilts it triumphantly to her lips.

Edward gradually turns back to our human blockade. "Tell me," he mumbles broodingly, rubbing his jaw. "Is it just you here working to guard the premises?"

Seth innocently grins with his mouth full. "Nope! That dark-haired woman hired my whole frat and scattered us all over the place! She even gave us walkie talkies so we can communicate just like real security. Isn't that _sick_?"

Edward doesn't answer him. Instead, he looks at me pitifully. "How much longer before this thing is over?"

"About two hours."

His head slumps down with a groan. Moments later, he takes my hand and we walk unhurriedly back to the dance floor. Dancing is the closest activity to what he had planned that he can currently think of.

**00000000000000000000**

_Around three years after that..._

It's well after sunset when I reenter the Cullen Enterprises office building. Almost everyone has left for the day, except for a few custodians and night watchmen left to patrol the quiet floors. Plus Edward. He is up there on the top floor, working well past closing time.

Since taking over the head position last year, Edward has had a lot more on his plate to deal with. He's usually good at juggling his personal life along with work, but sometimes work demands more of his time than he would like. He just got back from a three day business trip to New York this afternoon. I would have gone too if it hadn't been for the fact that I had an important project that I couldn't put off. Then, almost as soon as he entered the building, he had to attend a board meeting. It should be ending soon, and that's why I'm here.

I lug the bags of takeout I brought to the elevator and push the button for his floor. Once the door slides open, I spot Edward's secretary throwing her coat around her shoulders and dropping her things into her purse. Sweet pictures of her two little girls are scattered all around her desk. I'm sure she's anxious to get home, but I stop her before she can pass around me.

"Hi, Kate. Is Edward in his office?" I ask her.

She gives a tight-lipped smile and sighs. "He sure is. But I think I should warn you that he's in a foul mood. He has just been informed that one of our suppliers is threatening to raise the cost of iron by twenty percent. When I checked a few minutes ago, he was on the phone trying to talk some sense into them."

My mouth thins into a line at the news. The company makes everything from bandages to heart monitors to crutches. That much of an increase in price of anything we make could be catastrophic.

I thank her for the heads up and slowly open his door. The large office is only lit by a desk lamp, plunging most of the room in darkness. My eyes squint a little until I find him. Edward sits in his office chair, his back turned towards me.

"We have done business with you for the past fourteen years," he says into the phone. "And never once in all of those years did you propose to do anything like this... I am well aware of rising costs, but _this_ is unacceptable. Just because my father no longer runs this company does not mean that you can railroad us into paying more... Be that as it may, you are not the only supplier for this particular product, Mr. Zhao. I can assure you that if you choose to bump up the price to such an outrageous amount, I _will_ find another supplier that is more inclined to work with me."

Edward's chair abruptly whirls around and he sees me standing by the door. The smile that I love lights up his face and eradicates the scowl that had been there a moment before.

"Yes, yes. I _do_ understand that. Umm. Excuse me, please," he says to the person on the line. "But my next appointment just arrived. Think over what I said, and if you change your mind, call me back in twelve hours."

He tosses the phone onto his desk as though he despises it and jumps up from his chair. His hair is rumpled. His navy blue neck tie fits loosely around his neck, appearing like a hangman's noose. He is clearly exhausted. Yet somehow, he still looks amazing.

His long legs help him cross the room in only a few steps and he gathers me into his arms. "God, I missed you," he sighs into my hair.

"Me too," I reply.

He glances down and discovers my surprise, their unmistakable aroma permeating the room. He happily snatches one from my hand and peeks inside. "Mmm. Fatty hamburgers, fatty fries, fatty milkshakes, and a side salad to share so that we can pretend we ate healthy." Catching my eye, he smilingly adds, "Have I mentioned how much I love you?"

"You have. But I don't mind if you elaborate a bit more," I tease, grabbing his necktie and pulling him down to my waiting mouth. Going three whole days without doing this was torture. If I had known how hard it was going to be, I would have asked my assistant to handle everything and travelled with Edward on his business trip.

Edward pushes stacks of paperwork to the side and his desk is soon overrun with ketchup packets and empty wrappers. Between bites of food, we share what happened during our time apart. There is a lot. The most interesting news I want to tell him is too important for me to announce over greasy fast food, so I decide to save it for later. I'm in the middle of telling the story of how I was visiting Alice and Jasper's house and witnessed their crazy neighbor yelling at them for not utilizing their recycling bin enough, when I notice something strange. Edward is staring at my mouth.

"What is it? Do I have mustard or something on me?" I ask. I then snatch a napkin from the desk and blot my mouth and chin.

He plucks it from my fingers, carelessly drops it to the side, and squeezes my hand. "You're fine," he says soothingly. "More than fine. _You're_ _beautiful_. I was just admiring the way your lips move when you talk."

I arch my brow, skeptical of the claim. "You were admiring my lips?"

"Um-hmm," he relaxedly hums. His wheeled chair rolls closer to me and he lifts me up until I am sitting on his lap. He begins placing kisses on my eyelids and everywhere else that he can easily reach. "And I was admiring your dark eyes. And your chin. And your neck..."

Nimble fingers yank open the top buttons of my blouse, taking me by surprise. His mouth drifts down, down, down until I grab the hair at the back of his head and he has no choice but to stop.

"Edward?" I pant. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I want to admire more of you, and your clothes are in the way." Then he goes back to plastering the exposed section of my upper chest with kisses.

It feels good. But the paranoid part of my brain won't let me enjoy it. I grab his hair again and pull until he is separated from my skin.

"This is an office, not a bedroom, Edward. We can't."

"Sure we can. That's the one useful aspect of being in charge of this place. If I want to create a new rule, I have the right to. And I'm making one right now." Deepening his voice into an authoritative bass, he proclaims, "Henceforth, if my wife and I are in the mood, we can have sex in my office as long as the door is properly secured." Reverting back to his normal tone, he grins at me and says, "Happy now?"

I glance at the wall clock and back at him. "But Jeopardy comes on in eighteen minutes."

Sensing my weakening resolve, he untucks my blouse from my pencil skirt and toys with the remaining buttons that hide me from his lust filled eyes. Firm lips flatten themselves to the skin of my lower neck, and he mutters huskily, "We'll make it quick."

That's all the encouragement I need.

We work as a team to get our clothes off. I unbutton and slide his white dress shirt off while he almost rips my skirt in his enthusiasm to remove it. It doesn't take long before he has all of my clothes in a pile, leaving me bare in front of him. The green of his eyes darken as they rake over me. It's the look of reverence that, even after being with him for six years, makes me shiver with anticipation. When I look at my reflection in a mirror, I've never really felt beautiful. But whenever he gazes at me like this, I realize that he believes that I am. So it must be true.

I hop up to sit on his desk, locking my legs around his waist as our mouths work in unison. He tastes of dark coffee, sweet and addicting. The position we are in must not be enough to satisfy him because he lifts up and supports my bottom while he carries me to the black leather couch across the room. Once he places me safely there, I immediately latch my fingers around the zipper of his trousers. The sound is louder than it should be in the quiet room. Maybe the risk of being caught makes it seem more cacophonous than usual. I focus my attention back to him, and my thumbs hook around the elastic of his boxer briefs. I quickly send them and his pants down to his ankles.

I wish we had more time to devote to admiring one another, because I think I could conceivably admire naked Edward forever.

He isn't a bodybuilder, but his body is athletic and lean. His pectorals are nicely defined while his core is flat and sexy. His legs are muscular, long, and firm - strong evidence of his tendency to jog a mile at least three times a week.

One of my fingers traces the line of hair below his navel, marveling at what I see before me. He is a work of art. And he is mine.

My hand reaches out to touch him in his most sensitive place. I watch his face closely as I wrap my fingers around him. His eyes droop and blink as though dazed. I can feel that he is already hard and clearly anxious for more. He makes that fact more apparent when he growls and falls to his knees in front of me. The hint of seriousness on his face let's me know that he wants me _now_. Luckily, for him, I agree with that desire. Foreplay will have to be suspended. Three days without each other has left us desperate for immediate gratification.

Spreading my legs apart, he captures my bottom lip with his mouth and hums. The sounds he makes as he lavishes me with attention heightens the charged atmosphere. The instant I suck in a breath, he enters me and slides in slowly until he can go no further. It's slightly uncomfortable at first, but my body adjusts quickly to him. I feel full and finally complete again.

Then it's nothing but heated kisses and panting breaths. My fingernails dig into his broad shoulders, holding on tight as he makes love to me. One moment it's relaxed and slow. The next, frenzied and pounding. I never know what is coming next. And that is exactly why I love this so much.

Without giving me warning, his lips ghost across the top of my breast. A moan much louder than it should slips out. All of me seems to know now what is plans are. My body trembles once he swirls his warm tongue across my cool skin, concentrating on my nipple. It feels so deliciously good that I can barely breathe.

Much to quickly, I'm blinded by a white light and seemingly floating in ecstasy. I still feel him moving within me, holding me down to earth. For that brief time, my world is limited to just myself and him. And I love that feeling more than anything.

I hear his throat make a primal grunt in my ear. Then moments afterwards, he's trying to keep himself from collapsing on top of me. Shaking arms are on either side of my chest. His face is slumped forward and he breathes heavily.

Gradually, he meets my eyes. A slow smile brightens the his face. He leans down and places a sweet peck on my lips.

"Three minutes until Jeopardy comes on. _See_? We had plenty of time," he winks.

Soon he grabs a remote and the TV mounted on the wall comes to life. He flops down beside me on the couch and slings his arm behind my back, pulling me close.

Though it is tempting to stay this way, I fight against it and stand up. My intension is to make it over to his desk before the show comes on. But Edward snatches my hand before I can walk away. "Where are you going?" he asks, his voice sounding almost hurt.

"To get some clothes on. I'll be right back."

"Why?"

I roll my eyes up to the ceiling and heave out a breath. "Because I can't play like _this_, Edward," I reply, pointing down at my unclothed body.

"Now, I have to disagree with you there," he contradicts, holding his index finger up. "I propose that we play a new version of the game."

"What version?"

"_Naked_ _Jeopardy_. The winner at the end decides what we do once the game's over."

"And let me guess. More sex?"

Edward shrugs indifferently, acting as though that isn't exactly what he has in mind. "If that's what you want," he says airily.

I laugh and shake my head at him. "If we played naked, we would _both_ lose. We would be too distracted to pay attention to the clues on the show."

I slip back into my blouse and undergarments and toss him his boxers and pants. I choose to NOT bring him his shirt because it doesn't hurt to have at least a _little_ eye candy to enjoy during the game.

We play against one another the same as always. Today, I am doing very well. By the time Double Jeopardy ends, I have a two thousand point lead over him. Before the show goes to commercial break, Alex Trebek announces that the category for Final Jeopardy is _Modern Pop Songs_.

I think it should be an easy win. I keep up with music pretty well. But when I look at my husband, another thought crosses my mind. I have news that I have yet to deliver. I wanted to make a grand gesture, like a fancy, home-cooked meal before I told him. Though, seeing him over there musing over how he should wager, makes me reevaluate that idea.

Jeopardy helped bring us together. Why not let it be involved in this, too?

I grab my spiral notebook and find a blank page. Right before the show comes back on, I scribble down my wager.

The final clue is similar to what I expected. It's asking what song was streamed the most last year. I know the answer, but that is not what I'm writing down.

Edward and I watch Alex interact with the contestants. Two of them have the answer right. The returning champion answers incorrectly and winds up in second place.

At the show's conclusion, it's time for us to reveal our own answers. I insist that he go first. Edward flips his notebook around and shows that he answered correctly. His score is now $3575.

It's my turn now, and I am nervous regarding how he will take the news. Inhaling, I hold the air in until I feel calmer and release it slowly. Then, before I can chicken out, I thrust my notebook into the air and display the bold printed words to him.

"What is...I'm Having Your Baby?" he reads aloud, knitting his brows. He appears puzzled for a few beats and strokes his jaw ruminatively. Then, the corners of his lips lift and he chuckles. "_Bella_. The song is called '_You're Having My Baby' _not '_I'm Having Your Baby'_. Plus, that song came out during the '70s. It wouldn't be considered modern by any stretch of the imagination."

Hiding my own smile, I chew the inside of my cheek and try to come up with a way for him to figure out on his own what I want to share with him. "I know all of that. But I decided to play differently today. Instead of answering _their_ clue, I gave you a clue of your very own to solve."

His head tilts to the side and he blinks at me. Unhurriedly, his attention moves back to my notebook and he studies what I wrote.

When his eyes stretch open as large as saucers, I know that he has cracked the clue.

"I thought the doctor said that it might take months before that could happen. You only stopped taking birth control a few weeks ago," he says in a low tone, his face paler than normal.

"Yes, she did. But she _also_ said that once I stop taking the pill, I could become pregnant much sooner than that. Some women can become pregnant within a month of quitting. Everybody is different."

He shakes his head like he is trying to wake up from a dream. Thick fingers rub his eyes. "When did you find out?"

"On my lunch break today. I stopped by the drug store and bought a couple of home pregnancy tests. Of course, I still need to be checked by Dr. Eleazar so she can tell me officially."

He covers his face with his hands, hiding himself from me. Just when I am starting to get worried that he isn't ready for this like we had originally planned, he drops his hand and I find a smile. He stretches out from his end of the couch, scoops me up, and circles his arms around my torso.

"We're having a baby," he breathes out into my ear.

"Yep," I simply respond, my mouth curling upwards.

He backs up a little, revealing the excitement dancing in his eyes. "God, we have so much to do! How will we get everything done in time? We'll need to find a bigger house in a decent neighborhood, decorate the baby's bedroom, buy baby clothes and furniture, find the best pediatrician, get a safer car, pick out a name-"

"Whoa there, Hoss!" I giggle at him, placing my finger against his lips. "We have _months_ before this baby comes, so take a breather before you freak out. Your mom and Alice will want to help with any house buying, nursery decorating, and clothes buying, so we're covered there. I can ask Emmett and Rose what pediatrician they use for their kids. And as for the baby's name, I already have one picked out."

"You do?" he asks with raised brows.

"Mmm-hmm," I nod proudly.

"Let's hear it then."

I smile before I say it aloud, already imagining it on the baby's birth certificate. "_Alex_ _Cullen_."

He eyes me doubtfully, one bronzed brow cocked up. "What if it's a girl?"

"_Alex_. It's unisex! It can stand for Alexander if it's a boy, and Alexis or Alexandra if it's a girl. Brilliant, huh?"

His face winces a little and he pats my back. "At least we have time to think about it," he replies hesitantly.

Smirking, I shrug and nod my head. "That's fine. We can think about it as long as you need. _Then_ we'll name the baby Alex."

He smiles until his eyes crinkle at their corners. Pulling my body closer, he hugs me and buries his hand in my long hair. "I love you," he whispers. I can hear it in his tone. Sense it in the way his fingers touch me. He doesn't use those words lightly. He means it.

"I love you," I tell him back. I really mean it, too.

He pivots my face up and his lips crash into mine. Instinctively, I go to entwine my arms around his neck. My notebook drops from my fingers and tumbles to the ground. I technically lost the game today. I answered incorrectly. But I think I won in the end. Because tonight, and every day hereafter, I will have Edward and a family unlike anything I had when I was younger to share my life with.

I bet everything I had, and I won.

**00000000000000000000**

**A/N- I got the idea for this Jeopardy themed Twilight story in early 2019, but I didn't begin writing it until well after Mr. Alex Trebek announced his pancreatic cancer diagnosis. If you love Alex, send him your prayers, positive vibes, or well wishes to keep him going strong. And, if you can, find a worthy charity to donate to that is currently working to find a cure so we can finally stop all forms of cancer in its tracks.**

**I hope you enjoyed this mostly fluff-fest. It began with Jeopardy. It ends with Jeopardy and a baby. You can't get much better than that. ;-)**

**Thanks for reading!**


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